


The Most Beautiful Flower

by OnyxKitty7



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Slow Build, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:35:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 69
Words: 96,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25326256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxKitty7/pseuds/OnyxKitty7
Summary: Donna has always lived in Bella's shadow, which suits her just fine. She adores her sister and doesn't mind being a supporting character. Unfortunately, a certain Italian vampire would much prefer she be his leading lady instead.***This is a slow build romance with many dark elements. Trigger warnings are in the tags. Please do not read if you do not approve. This story is about Donna, the unexpected second daughter of Charlie and Renée. This story is NOT about Bella Swan, although Bella is a character in the story***
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Felix (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s), Leah Clearwater/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Rosalie Hale/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 132
Kudos: 169





	1. The Younger Sister

**Author's Note:**

> ***Twilight and the characters and story therein belong to Stephenie Meyer, not me. This story along with the original characters belong to me, but all credit of the Twilightverse goes to Stephenie Meyer***

My name is Belladonna Clarice Swan, I am the youngest daughter of Renée and Charlie. When my mom left my dad when my sister was only three months old, she didn’t realize until two months later that she was pregnant with another child. My mom named me Belladonna, after the flower, my dad has always hated my name. He says that he now has two daughters named Bella, and he made the snide comment once that it was so that my scatterbrained mother would at least remember the name of her children. Bella and I have always been very close, and together we’ve been able to take care of mom for the most part. My sister and I are similar in some ways and different in others; I’m shorter than Bella by nearly two inches, I’m slighter than she is although she often reminds me that I have a larger chest. We can still share clothes for the most part, so I don’t think the differences are as severe as Bella does. My sister has always been insecure about her looks, although I will always think that she is the most beautiful. I wish I looked more like my sister, she has dark hair and our dad’s eyes, while I have dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes. My sister and I have never really fit into any social circles, but neither of us mind that much. As long as we have each other, that’s all that really matters to me. Mom has said before that we were born into the wrong era, and we’re simply old souls stuck in young bodies. I know our mother feels guilty about being impulsive and flight headed, I know she feels that she made us grow up too fast by giving us too much responsibility from a young age. We’ve never minded, we love our mother and we wouldn’t want her any other way. However, things are about to change for all of us. Mom has recently married Phil, and while I’ve never seen her happier, that’s changed her contentment with our sedentary lifestyle. Mom, Bella and I have lived in Phoenix, Arizona for most of my life. Since Phoenix is a large city with plenty of things to do, mom has been pretty happy to stay in one place with the occasional vacation trip. However, when mom married Phil she was no longer happy to just stay in Phoenix. Phil is a professional baseball player, and so he travels a lot and is hardly ever home. Mom has always wanted to travel, and with Phil’s career this would be the perfect opportunity for her. She stays behind for my sister and I, so we decided that we should go live with our dad so mom can travel with Phil and see more of the world.

My dad, Charlie, lives in a little town called Forks, Washington. Dad has lived in that little town his entire life. It’s the main reason why my parents broke up. Dad never wants to leave that tiny little town where the sun hardly ever shines. Bella has always hated Forks. She and my mother love the heat and the sun, hence why we moved to Phoenix. I never shared their love for the summer weather. I don’t particularly mind the heat, but I prefer a cooler climate. It was Bella who insisted that for two weeks every summer our dad vacation with us in California rather than go to Forks for visitation. I don’t particularly like Forks, but I never hated it like my mother and sister. It was late one night when Bella and I had come to the decision to abandon our mother so that she could go travel while she had the chance.

_“Are you sure this is what you want, Bella?” I asked._

_“It’s what’s best for mom, you know that.” Bella answered as she rolled over on her stomach hugging her pillow._

_“But you hate Forks,” I insisted. “and you know as well as I do that mom can’t take care of herself. She thinks her toast ran away when she’s put it in the toaster and forgotten about it.”_

_“Mom has Phil now, Donna. She isn’t happy staying with us, and you know Charlie would be thrilled to have us there.” Bella was trying to convince herself of this, too. She had always secretly been a little resentful that our dad chose his town and job over his family._

_I sighed, but I knew that she was right. Mom wasn’t happy staying here. “But it’s the middle of the school year, it’ll be a hassle moving right now.”_

_“I’m sure every accommodation will be made to welcome home the wayward daughters of Chief Swan’s flighty ex-wife. It won’t be forever. Phil might settle soon, and even if he doesn’t, I’m a senior next year and I’ll take you with me when I go to college. We need to do what’s best for mom, and if she doesn’t take this chance now she’s going to regret it later in life.” Bella had made up her mind, I could tell by the look on her face._

_I studied my sister for a moment, to make sure that she was sure about this. I already knew she was. “Alright, we’ll break the news to mom and Charlie tomorrow. If we move quickly we can get things set up before Phil goes on his next trip.”_

_Bella smiled and rolled over on her side. “Forks won’t be so bad. This will be a good thing for us too. We’ll get through it together. Goodnight, Donna.”_

_“Goodnight, Bella.” I turned off the lamp that set on the table between our beds, and settled in for one of the last nights in the home I grew up in._


	2. Leaving the Sun

I had been right; we were able to make arrangements before Phil left for his next trip. Mom didn't like the idea of us going to live with dad at first, but we were able to convince her that it was what we really wanted and that we wanted to spend some time with dad before we went off to college. Well, I was able to convince her I should say. Bella has never been a very good liar, and she's never hidden her resentment of Forks or her anger for our dad. After we had assured mom that yes, we know we can come home at any time and yes, we will call her often and e-mail her every day, she called Charlie and arrangements were quickly made for our departure. We went shopping the next day to try and get some warmer clothes for Forks, but we weren't able to acquire much. That was fine with me, a black jacket goes with most outfits, but Bella was less enthusiastic.

"Bella, it's fine. We can get more clothes in Port Angeles. They're bound to have a warmer selection." My attempts to reason with my sister as we packed our things were futile, at best.

"With what money? I hate to break it to you Donna but getting to Port Angeles requires a car and money. Neither of which are things that we have." Bella huffed as she tossed a thin long-sleeved shirt in her duffel bag. Bella had been very pessimistic about our move when we were alone, despite it being her idea. That's fine with me, she knows she doesn't have to pretend with me. She tries to keep a brave face when we're with mom and Phil, and she'll do the same when we get to Charlie's, but with me she doesn't need to hide the resentment she feels towards this whole situation.

"I'm sure we can find a ride to Port Angeles sometime soon," I zip up my duffel bag and grab a few books for my shoulder bag. "And Forks might be small, but I'm sure there are places that still hire teenagers."

Bella sighed as she went through our drawers again making sure we didn't forget anything for at least the eighth time. "You know I don't think you should get a job, Donna. At least not during the school year. You should focus on your schoolwork, and maybe you'll make some new friends..." she trailed off as she looked at me. I know she's being hopefully optimistic, but we both know that the closest thing I have to friends are characters in books. I don't mind, what relationship could be closer than a sister?

"Yeah, sure" It's best to just let the topic drop. Although I know I most likely won't make any new friends, I don't want her to worry. I know that she worries about me growing up too fast and missing out on "teenager things", which seems ironic considering we've been parenting our mother since we were small. But I know she has good intentions, so I'll stay with a summer job for now.

"Girls, are you almost ready to go?" Mom asks as she appears in our doorway from down the hall. "Phil is waiting in the car and..." she stops as she looks around our room with a sad look on her face. It doesn't look very different, since we mostly just packed clothes and books, but I think it was the knowledge that we wouldn't be here tonight that made the room feel empty to mom rather than the actual absence of belongings.

Bella smiled and grabbed her bags off her bed, hoping to distract mom before she cried probably. "Yes mom, we're ready. We don't want to miss our flight."

I didn't say anything, there wasn't really anything for me to say. I just smiled at our mother and followed Bella out of our room and to the outside where Phil was already waiting with the trunk open.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Although Phil got us to the airport early, we still almost missed our flight. Mom wanted to make absolutely certain that we knew we didn't have to do this, and that if we changed our mind even mid-flight, she would call the pilot and have them turn the plane around. Bella did most of the talking, she and mom have always been close. Once we were on the plane, I knew that mom would be fine. She would be very sad, of course, probably the rest of the night. But when she starts traveling with Phil I know she'll enjoy herself. Even before we left, I could tell that this is what she really wanted too. She would love it if Bella and I could go, but with school that just isn't plausible right now. We had two plane rides before we would make it to Port Angeles, and then another hour ride in the car with Charlie. The car ride would be the difficult part, or rather awkward. Even around Charlie, Bella just couldn't lose that chip on her shoulder. I've never really felt the anger that Bella does for our dad, but I also wasn't born when our parents were together. It's a little more personal for Bella, because Charlie held her in his arms and still couldn't bring himself to leave the rainy little town. Dad always tries harder for Bella, I've always assumed it's because he feels guilty, but I suppose you don't need to try very hard for a daughter who isn't angry in the first place. As our plane lands, I can already see Charlie waiting inside the building watching for our plane from the window. I know he's overjoyed that we're coming to live with him, even if he doesn't know how to show it outwardly. That's something I have in common with my dad, most of my expressions are felt inward but hardly ever actually reach my face. Bella is more like our mother in that regard, you can always tell what she's feeling if you just look in her eyes. I look over and spare a glance at my sister, and smile. She's happy to see Charlie, too. 


	3. Welcome Home

Charlie had tried to talk to us on the way back to Forks, but there wasn’t much to say so it was mostly just he and Bella making comments about the weather. Bella sat in the front, and I stayed in the back seat with my copy of _Murders in the Rue Morgue_. After a while, the only sounds that could be heard were the birds and raindrops falling on the leaves of the trees. Everything was so green here; it really was a beautiful place.

“Are you expecting company?” Bella asked, pulling me out of my reverie. I looked up to see what she could be talking about; I didn’t realize that we were so close to Charlie’s house. Charlie’s house was coming into view, and there were already two trucks parked by the house. One was a tan Chevy and I had no idea what kind of truck the other one was, but it was very old. It looked like it belonged in a junk yard about twenty years ago, and that was being generous. I couldn’t even tell what the original color would have been exactly, but it seemed to have once been a shade of orange or red. Although, maybe the rust had just taken up that much of the color scheme.

“Well,” Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly like he had meant to bring this up before but had procrastinated until time decided to take measures into its own hands. “I told Billy not to stop by until later, I wanted to give your girls a chance to settle in first.”

“Settle in first? Before what?” Bella raised an eyebrow studying our father, which obviously made him uncomfortable.

Charlie cleared his throat again before answering, “I thought you girls would prefer to drive yourselves around rather than having to ride around in the cruiser all the time, so I talked to Billy and he sold me his truck. It’s a welcome home present.”

“You got us a car?!” Bella and I both said in unison. I couldn’t believe this, did dad actually buy us a car?

“Technically it’s in Bella’s name, but it’s for the both of you to use.” He looked at me through the rear-view mirror, “you’re a little young for your own car, Donna, but it isn’t just for Bella. I want you two to be happy here.” Charlie finished his thought as he pulled into the drive by the house.

Bella was clearly very excited, she practically jumped out of the cruiser to start inspecting it. “Thanks, Dad! I love it, this is perfect.” Bella’s smile lit up her whole face as she examined the truck. It was a good sturdy truck, one that was sure not to be destroyed in the many wrecks Bella would inevitably have. I love my sister, but she is very clumsy. No matter how cautious she tries to be, trouble always seems to find her.

“I see you like your new truck,” Billy Black wheeled over to Charlie, smiling ear to ear. I had known that he was in a wheelchair but seeing him in one still seemed odd. Billy has been dad’s best friend for practically his entire life. Many years ago, Billy was diagnosed with diabetes. Unfortunately, due to complications from the diabetes, he’s now confined to a wheelchair. I remember Billy Black from when I was little, Bella and I used to play with his kids all the time. His daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, were a little older than Bella while his son, Jacob, was my age.

“It’s perfect, thanks Billy.” Bella was still smiling examining the truck. I’m glad it made her happy, maybe she wouldn’t be so miserable here after all.

“The truck is great. Thanks dad, thanks Billy.” I smiled walking over. I didn’t want to seem rude. After all, the truck would be carrying me around in it too.

“Welcome home. It’s good to see you both back here after all this time, Charlie hasn’t stopped talking about it since he got the call.” Billy chuckled as his eyes turned to Charlie. One thing I had always loved about Billy, his smile always reached his eyes.

“You haven’t stopped talking about it either, dad. I think you just wanted an excuse to tease Charlie more.” Jacob came walking around from the other side of the tan Chevy. Wow, he had really grown up. He still had some boyish features, of course, but I think it suits him. Like his dad, Jacob’s smile always reaches his eyes.

“Hey Jacob, you remember my girls. Donna, Bella, you remember Jacob.” Charlie was quick to make the unnecessary introductions; I think he was just grateful to find something else to focus on rather than Billy picking on him. For being a police chief and working with the public all the time, dad was actually very shy.

Jacob smiled like he didn’t even notice Charlie’s evasions to the teasing. “Of course I remember, how could I forget? It’s great to see you again, maybe now Forks will get a little more interesting.” His eyes drifted over to Bella, looks like she already had an admirer.

Bella rolled her eyes as she scoffed but tried to make it seem lighthearted. It didn’t work. “I highly doubt that. But it’s great to see you too, Jacob. If you ever want to hang out, we have a ride now.” Bella smiled as she ran her hand over the door. I almost smiled myself, I hadn’t seen her this happy since before we started planning this trip.

Jacob laughed, but Charlie cleared his throat to interrupt before Jacob could say anything. “There will be no late-night shenanigans on school nights, we do have your grades to think about.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. Our grades have never been a problem, and I highly doubt there will be many “late-night shenanigans” with Jacob once Bella figured out why he wanted to hang out so much.

“I’m sure everything will be fine. They’re responsible kids and there are worse people they could be hanging around, late at night or otherwise.” Billy and Charlie exchanged a look, which I’m not sure what that was about. Billy seemed to be insinuating something, and Charlie obviously didn’t agree with whatever it was. Billy broke the stare-down before I could think too much about it. “Well, we should be getting home, Jacob. The girls need to get settled in and rested, give them some time to adjust before the weekend is over.”

We said our goodbyes and Billy and Jacob left to go home. Bella still seemed excited over the truck, but what Billy had said reminded me of the next challenge we had coming up in just two days. School. 


	4. Familiarity

Settling in didn’t take long. Bella and I got our room settled and tried to make it look like home. We had a colorful blanket that we draped over the window as a curtain and our little desert pot plants on the table between our beds. Sunday was mostly uneventful, with Bella and I using the excuse of settling in to hide away in our room and mentally prepare for the inevitably horrible day of school tomorrow. Starting a new school in the middle of the school year would be bad enough, especially considering Forks is a small town and everyone will already see us as a subject of gossip and the newest commodities to stare at which results in unwanted attention. Dealing with unwanted attention was unpleasant, but it shouldn’t last longer than a few days, maybe a week or two at most. Just long enough for the newness of the situation to wear out; the part that I’m truly dreading is that we don’t have any classes together. I’m a sophomore and Bella is a junior, so aside from lunch we’ll be facing the day mostly alone. I tried not to think about this too much, but it kept weighing on my mind. Bella fell asleep around 2am, the rain had started shortly after. Sometime after that, the rain had lulled me to sleep.

Bella and I woke up early so that we could drive to school and hopefully get all of our slips signed before most of the students got there. Dad was still at the kitchen table when we came down the stairs for breakfast.

“You two are up early.” He commented as he took a drink of coffee sparing us a glance from his newspaper.

“We want to get an early start; I’d rather be there early than stumble into the building late because I turned left at the wrong blade of grass.” Bella snapped as she grabbed a box of cereal. She had never been much of a morning person, and from the circles under her eyes I could tell that the rain had not helped her sleep as much as it had mine.

“We mostly want to get our slips signed before everyone gets there.” I tried to give dad a reassuring glance as I grabbed a coffee mug out of the cabinet and poured myself a cup.

“Since when do you drink coffee?” Dad asked as he took a drink from his own cup. I suspect that he was more interested in changing the subject than he was about my caffeine consumption.

“Not long,” I said as I added sugar and cream to my cup.

“Five years.” Bella said as she took a bite of her cereal. She was definitely not in the mood today.

“Right… Well, I should be getting to work. You girls have a good day, I’ll see you when I get home tonight. Call me if you need anything.” Dad got up from the table as he finished his coffee, leaving it in the sink.

“We will, bye dad. Have a good day.” I took a drink of my coffee as I leaned against the counter. Not terrible, but I would definitely be doing the coffee shopping from now on. Dad kissed my head on his way out the door, he didn’t get too close to Bella. Smart move, considering her mood this morning she may have actually bitten him.

The rest of breakfast passed in silence. I had never really eaten in the mornings, I always needed coffee more than food. I washed the dishes while Bella put up the cereal and then we left for school. The school wasn’t hard to find, it was just off the main highway. The only reason we almost missed it is because it didn’t look like a school, it was too plain. The high school just seemed like a bunch of houses, almost like a very tiny village. It’s a good thing there were no cars in the parking lot, that meant that the students probably hadn’t arrived yet. If they had, I’m sure they would have heard Bella’s truck five miles down the road. The engine on this thing sounds like a dinosaur having a stroke, yet another reason to hate it. I would never tell Bella this, of course. But I very much look forward to the day I can get my own car or get enough motivation to walk to school instead. The trip to the office was very short, the lady at the desk was very helpful and very glad to see us. She gave us our slips and told us to have a good day, but unfortunately our slips couldn’t be signed until it was time for class. So much for getting them signed early. Bella and I got back in the truck and drove around to the front parking lot where other cars had now gathered. Most of them were old looking, though none of them as loud as the truck. One car was parked a little bit away from the others and it was the newest one in the lot, a silver Volvo. Well, at least we weren’t in the only vehicle that stood out; albeit for opposite reasons.

“Are you sure you can get to your classes ok?” Bella asked as she turned off the truck.

“I’m sure, Bella. If I get lost I’ll just circle around the mass of buildings until I find the right one.” My sarcasm was greeted with an eyeroll from my sister. “I’ll be fine, Bella. Really. During lunch we can regroup and talk about the horrors of being the newest shiny things for everyone to stare at.”

“It won’t be that bad.” Bella insisted, although I could tell by her eyes that she didn’t believe it either.

“I’ll see you at lunch, try not to melt in the rain.” I pulled up the hood from my black jacket and got out of the car. I saw some other students that were headed towards the direction of building 5, which was my first class. Algebra II first thing in the morning was not ideal, but I’m not sure any class is ideal first thing in the morning. I was able to find the building and slip into the classroom mostly unnoticed since everyone was hidden behind their jackets, but when I walked up to the desk to get my slip signed, the whispers started.

“Ah, Belladonna Swan, welcome to Forks. I hope you’ve been able to find everything alright so far.” The teacher commented as he signed my slip.

I didn’t say anything, hoping that he would simply sign my slip and let me find an empty seat in peace. Mercifully, he handed me my slip without another word. I tried to focus on an empty seat rather than meet the many curious gazes that were staring me down as I slid into an empty seat by the window.

“You’re Belladonna Swan, right?” I looked over to see who was talking to me, and it was a girl who had slid into the seat right beside mine. She had a bright smile on her face, showing off her very colorful braces. She had beautiful caramel skin and curly hair kept back with a headband.

“Just Donna.” I tried to smile, hoping I looked at least a little friendly.

“I’m Ashley Taylor, it’s great to meet you. I was hoping we’d have a class together.” Ashley smiled so brightly I half expected the rain outside to stop pouring.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Just as I thought, we had been talked about. She seemed really nice though, and I don’t think she meant anything by it. “Does the teacher give a lot of homework?” Small talk has never been my strong suit, but I’d give it a try.

“He does give homework pretty often, but it isn’t a lot. If you ever need help with it, I’d be happy to study with you. What other classes do you have today?” I pulled out my list of classes as she leaned over to look at it herself. Not out of impatience, I think she was genuinely curious.

“Um, I have Spanish next, then Econ, Biology, and after lunch I have English and gym.” I put my list back in my bag, it looked like class was going to start soon.

“Great! That’s my schedule too. Would you mind if we walked to class together?” I didn’t think that she could smile any bigger, but she seemed genuinely happy that we would be spending the day together in classes. While I don’t really understand her joy, it would be nice to know at least one person in my classes.

“Sure,” I smiled, trying to share some of her enthusiasm. “It would be nice to be with someone who knows where they’re going, I would hate to have to walk with a map in front of my face all day.”

She seemed happy with my response but couldn’t really say anything else since the teacher had started writing on the board. Ashley walked with me to our other classes and sat next to me in every class. It wasn’t so bad having her with me, she was very nice and seemed to be her own little ray of sunshine. She was pretty talkative, which prevented other people from trying to talk to me for the most part. Ashley spent most of the time telling me everything I needed to know about the school and trying to make me feel at home. I could easily see myself becoming good friends with her, which isn’t something I thought I would find here. Walking to Biology I felt a pair of eyes on me; while a lot of people had been staring at me all day, this felt different. I slowed my pace a little and looked around the room and that’s when I saw her. She was obviously older than me by a few years, she looked like she could be graduated. She was gorgeous, and not just her looks, although she was very beautiful. She had long blonde hair that curled at the ends, flawless pale skin, and a figure that would make a super model self-conscious. It wasn’t just the way she looked, though, she had a confidence about her that surrounded her like an aura. To complete the look, she had piercing golden eyes that were staring right at me. Not the curious gaze that I had seen most of the day, but a penetrating, judgmental gaze that was almost like a glare. I met her gaze, unsure of what she was looking for. Whatever it was, I guess she had found it. Right before she passed me in the hallway, her gaze had changed from judgmental to almost surprise. I must have been too silent for too long, or I wasn’t the only one who had felt the goddess’ stare because Ashley was looking at me with a slightly sympathetic look.

“That’s Rosalie Hale, she’s a senior this year. She can be pretty scary.” Ashley shuddered slightly, although I think ‘intimidating’ would be more of the word she was looking for.

“A senior? Has she always gone to school here?” I wasn’t sure why, but something about her seemed familiar. I was certain that I had never seen her before, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something very familiar about her that I just couldn’t place.

“No, she moved here a few years ago. She lives with Doctor and Mrs. Cullen; she’s been with them since she was small, but she and her brother Jasper have never changed their last name. The Cullen’s have other kids too, all of them are adopted. Rosalie and Emmett, and Jasper are seniors, and then Alice and Edward are juniors this year. Rosalie and Emmett are together, and Alice and Jasper are together. Edward has been asked out by almost every junior, senior, and even some sophomores and freshmen, and he doesn’t seem to want to date anyone. They mostly keep to themselves, though, and they don’t live in town.” I was really surprised at how she talked about the Cullen’s, most people in a small town would be very judgmental at the fact that adoptive siblings were dating each other. But Ashley wasn’t judgmental, she just explained everything in a very informative way that held just a glint of admiration. She must think highly of them, although I doubt she would ever talk to them herself.

“Huh, that’s pretty cool. It’s really neat that Doctor and Mrs. Cullen adopted all of those kids.” I hoped I didn’t sound too disinterested; my mind was still preoccupied with Rosalie Hale and the look she gave me. Did I seem familiar to her, too? The bell pulled me out of my thoughts as Ashley and I hurried to Biology. Maybe I could ask Bella about it at lunch, she might be able to tell me why Rosalie seems familiar.


	5. Golden Eyes

By the time I made it to the cafeteria, Bella was already sitting at a table with some other juniors. The food they were serving looked like it might eat me for lunch instead, so I just grabbed an orange and a bottle of vitamin water and walked over to where Bella was waving me over. I was glad to see that Bella hadn’t spent her day alone either, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking her about Rosalie in front of all these new people. Some guy named Mike scooted over a little sulkily so I could sit by my sister, and Ashley sat next to me and Mike sat next to Ashley. A very curly haired brunette was talking very quickly about some kind of gossip and didn’t miss a beat when Ashley and I joined their table. Ashley kindly whispered to me that her name was Jessica, since she didn’t seem to care to take a breath long enough for introductions. I sat there quietly picking at my orange, absentmindedly wondering whether having her little sister sit next to her during lunch would hurt Bella’s newfound popularity when I felt her shift beside me. I looked up to see what had captured her attention, when I saw them from across the room. I suppose Bella hadn’t seen them earlier today, based on the look on her face. The Cullen’s were all sitting at their own table across the cafeteria, not really looking at each other but they seemed to be talking to each other all the same. Rosalie I recognized right away, and I assumed that the large man next to her must be Emmett. I knew that Alice was the only other girl, and the strange man next to her had to be Jasper. I instantly felt bad for Jasper as soon as I saw him; although he seemed happy next to Alice, he looked extremely uncomfortable. I wonder if crowds make him uneasy too. Edward had to be the one in the middle; he was the only one who wasn’t obviously in a pair.

A quick glance at Bella and I could tell that she was staring at Edward. It was only when I looked back at the Cullens’ table that I saw Edward looking back at Bella. He didn’t stare for very long, he simply studied her for a moment and then looked away, seeming very confused. Bella was blushing and looking down at the table, she knew she had been caught staring and it had embarrassed her. I was about to look away myself, when I caught the gaze of Rosalie. Whenever I met her eyes, I didn’t look away like my sister. Rosalie seemed to be searching for something, like my eyes held some answer for her. I’m not sure if it’s considered rude to stare back, but it seemed disrespectful to look away, so I just sat there staring into Rosalie’s golden eyes. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, when Bella tugged at my sleeve.

“Don’t stare, Donna. That’s rude.” My sister hissed from under a curtain of hair. When I peeked back at Rosalie, she wasn’t staring at me anymore. She was glaring at my sister. I wasn’t at all sure why, as I was certain that she had never met Bella before so I have no idea why she would glare at her with such hate. Nevertheless, watching her glare at my sister seemed wrong, like an invasion of privacy. So I focused back on my orange.

“Do you know if we’ve ever seen then before?” I asked as I picked at my orange, trying to seem disinterested. “Or maybe we knew one of their relatives?”

“Of course we haven’t seen them before, when would we ever run into _them_?” Bella asked incredulously, as though I should know better than to ask something so outrageous.

“Something about them just seems really familiar,” I shrugged. “I can’t place it, but they all have something familiar about them, so I thought maybe we’d seem them before.”

“No, I would definitely remember if we had seen them before.” Bella glanced back at Edward from under her hair, I guess Ashley wasn’t kidding about Edward charming most of the girls in the school. Don’t get me wrong, I think Edward is very attractive, but I don’t really find Edward more attractive than Emmett, Jasper or Alice. Before I could press the matter, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

“I think sophomores and juniors have gym together this week, so I’ll see you at gym.” I stuffed my vitamin water into my bag and headed off to class, ignoring Bella’s groan. She hated gym. I didn’t particularly like it, but I was glad that I got at least one class with my sister.

English was probably my favorite subject so far, I was glad that I got to end my day on a good note. Not counting gym, of course. Sophomores and juniors didn’t exercise together, but they were there at the same time. Volleyball was the sport of the day; I was able to watch Bella take out about three of her own teammates with her spikes while I bumped the ball around with Ashley. Poor Bella, she’s just not coordinated enough for sports. The more I studied her though, the more I could tell that something was very obviously wrong. She had this look on her face that seemed sad and almost angry. I would have to ask her about that on the way home. Volleyball with Ashley was actually really fun, she never lost her smile the entire day. While I wasn’t ever as enthusiastic as she was, I hope she knows I thoroughly enjoy her company.

“So gym wasn’t really that bad, I saw you get some pretty good spikes in.” I said as Bella and I walked through the parking lot to the truck. I was hoping she would bring up whatever was bothering her on her own.

“Right, into the faces of my teammates.” Bella replied shortly unlocking the doors.

“At least one hit the other team, so really you were an asset.” I smiled, hoping to make her laugh. She still had that sad look on her face, so I tried a different approach as we got in the truck. “How were your classes today? We didn’t get to talk much during lunch.”

“They were fine. Just a bunch of people asking me questions all day because I was a shiny new toy.” Bella started the truck and started driving through the parking lot following the line of cars.

“How was Biology? I heard that you were studying stuff we already covered back home.” I tried a more direct approach; she couldn’t really avoid answering now. She was silent for a moment before she answered.

“It was fine, but I’m beginning to think you were right.” Bella didn’t look at me as she pulled on to the pain highway.

“Right about what?” I don’t think I made any predictions that would result in her mood, she seemed fine at lunch.

“I think we may know the Cullens from somewhere.” Bella spared a glance at me before focusing back on the road.

“Really? Did you recognize them from somewhere?” Maybe Bella felt the same sense of familiarity I did after all.

“No, but I think he recognized me. Edward Cullen I mean. He’s in my biology class, but as soon as I walked into the room he just gave me this look…” She shuddered slightly as if just the memory made her uneasy. “He was just so…angry. I didn’t even say a word to him, I can’t imagine what I would have done that would have made him so mad. And when I went to the office to return our slips while you gathered up our gym clothes, he was there. Trying to get out of our biology class. And as soon as I walked in, he glared at me and then ran off.” She looked almost angry now, like it was making her mad because she couldn’t figure out his behavior.

“Wow, I’m not sure. We should ask dad tonight. We don’t have to tell him why, but he would definitely know if we’ve ever seen them before.” Dad has been here his whole life, if anyone knew why they were familiar it would be him.

“You can ask Charlie if you want, but I’m going to confront him about it tomorrow.” Bella glared at the road with a newfound determination.

Now that I had time to think about it, the whole situation was rather odd. I couldn’t think of a reason why you would stare at someone like Edward and Rosalie did today without knowing someone in some way, and yet if that were true why didn’t they come and talk to us? I would have to think about it more later. When Bella and I got home, we had already gotten supper fixed and had our homework finished by the time dad got home. I could tell by the look on his face as he walked through the door that he wasn’t expecting food.

“Well, this is a nice surprise.” He said as he hung up his belt and jacket.

“We thought you’d be hungry when you got home.” I said as I fixed a plate.

“Well, you aren’t wrong.” He walked over and grabbed a plate as he started to load it with food. “How was your first day? Did you make any new friends?”

“I sat with a group of kids at lunch today, but I don’t really remember their names.” Bella said as she stabbed her food with her fork.

“Dad, is there anywhere before today that we would have ran into the Cullens?” I never was good at pointless small talk.

“The Cullens?” Dad raised an eyebrow as he sat down. “No, you would have never come across them. They moved here a few years ago, and before that they didn’t live anywhere near Phoenix. Doctor Cullen and his wife mostly keep to themselves. Their kids are really well behaved too, I’ve never known them to cause trouble. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering, someone mentioned that they thought they saw us together when we were smaller so I thought I would ask you.” I was always a better liar than my sister. I couldn’t just say they seemed familiar since he just said we didn’t know them, that would have raised more questions I didn’t have answers to.

“Oh. Well, simple mistake then.” Dad seemed satisfied with my answer. The rest of supper went by mostly silently, and after that we cleaned the kitchen and retreated to our room under the guise of doing homework. Bella and I didn’t talk much, we just e-mailed mom some vague details of our day and then retreated to our books. Bella loved classical fiction romance, like _Pride and Prejudice_ , while I preferred classical fiction thriller. Murder mysteries, classical monsters, works of mythologies were all preferred choices to Mr. Darcy and his issues with women. After a while, Bella and I went to bed, and I had no doubt that both of us would be kept awake by a different pair of golden eyes.


	6. Absence

The next morning, dad was already gone by the time that Bella and I had gotten up for school. Breakfast passed silently, we both had other things on our mind. Or I should say other people, I could tell that Bella hadn’t slept much last night. I didn’t fall asleep for a while, but as soon as it started raining, I was quickly lulled to sleep. At school, I didn’t see Rosalie in the hallway at all. I had almost thought that she didn’t come to school today, she wasn’t even at lunch when I walked in. After I had gotten my lunch tray and sat down, I saw her come in from outside. I could tell that something was wrong right away, Rosalie looked livid. Emmett had followed after her, but he looked more sad and frustrated than angry. Like they were fighting, and he couldn’t make up for something he’d done. Rosalie looked this way, and at first, I thought she was glaring at me, but I soon realized that she had fixed her incensed gaze on Bella. Bella looked up for a moment, and instantly her face lost all color. I could tell by the terror in her eyes that Bella was afraid, and if Rosalie were staring at me like that, I would be afraid too. Bella quickly looked away, and only made the mistake of glancing up twice. Rosalie’s icy glare never left my sister, despite her siblings’ attempts to talk to her. Edward wasn’t present at their lunch table, and he didn’t show up that entire period. At gym, Bella was very disconnected. She never even made an attempt to hit the ball once, and if Mike hadn’t been playing with her she probably would have gotten hit at least four times in the face.

“Is your sister ok?” Ashley asked. I hadn’t even noticed that we had stopped passing the volleyball back and forth and were both staring at Bella. She looked very disconnected from what she was doing, like her mind was somewhere else. Her face was almost sad.

“She’s just having a little trouble adjusting.” I replied. “She’s been really worried about our mom, she isn’t used to being away from her for this long so I think it’s really sinking in.” It was a believable lie, homesickness was very common. Especially for such a drastic move so suddenly.

“Ah, I see.” Ashley nodded sympathetically. “I hope she feels better soon. Do you think there’s anything we could do to help her feel better?”

“Well…” Although it was a lie, maybe something to remind Bella of home would make her feel better. “She really misses the sun from Phoenix, and the desert plants. Maybe we could make something that would remind her of home.”

“I think I have an idea!” Ashley smiled brightly like this just made her whole day. “Can you come to my house after school?”

“I think so, how long will it take?” I wanted to spend time with Ashley, but I was worried about leaving my sister alone. Especially when she was upset.

“Just a couple of hours. I think I have everything we’ll need at my house.” Ashley didn’t seem to think badly of me being worried about the time commitment.

“Ok, I’ll let Bella know after gym and then we can go.” I looked over at my sister, I hope she won’t be upset that I won’t be going home with her.

“Great, I’ll wait outside for you after class. My dad will come and pick us up.” Ashley smiled her bright smile and then we went back to passing the ball back and forth. Ashley’s happiness really was contagious, I was glad I had met her. After class, I ran to meet Bella in the locker room.

“Bella!” I rushed up just as she was closing her locker.

“What is it Donna?” Bella seemed almost annoyed, but I wasn’t sure with what.

“What’s wrong? You’ve seemed really off since lunch.” I frowned. Was it Rosalie that had upset her this much?

“He wasn’t there.” She slammed her locker closed.

“Oh.” I understood now. She had wanted to talk to Edward today to find out why he was so hostile towards her, and he wasn’t in Biology.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway. Let’s just go home.” Bella grabbed her bag and was about to turn towards the exit.

“Bella…” I hesitated a moment. I didn’t want to leave her alone when she was so upset. Maybe I should wait to go to Ashley’s another day.

“What?” Bella stopped and looked at me.

“Ashley asked me to hang out today, so I was going to go home with her for a few hours. But it can wait for another day…” I shouldn’t leave my sister alone when she’s this upset, she needed me there with her.

“No, no that’s wonderful Donna.” Bella actually smiled, this had really lifted her mood. “Go hang out with your friend, you shouldn’t be home all the time. I’ll take care of dinner. Go have fun.”

“Ok, if you’re sure.” While I wanted to be with Bella, she seemed genuinely pleased that I was going to hang out with a friend. She would be fine for just a few hours.

“I’m sure. Go have fun, I’ll see you tonight.” Bella smiled and walked out the door. I gathered my things and then went to go see Ashley, I hope I didn’t make her and her dad wait.

“Donna! Over here.” Ashley waved me over, her dad was waiting in an older blue sedan. I walked over to the driver’s side window where Ashley was standing. “This is my dad.”

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Frederickson.” I smiled as I reached the car and stood by Ashley. Her dad looked very friendly, she looked like she must get her joyful disposition from him. They didn’t look very much alike though, so she must look like her mom.

“Please, call me Greg.” He smiled. “It’s so nice to meet you, Ashley has been telling us so much about you.”

“It’s great to meet you too, thanks for letting me come over.” I got into the back seat on the passenger’s side while Ashley got in the back seat on the driver’s side.

“No problem. Just let me know when you’re ready to go home, I’ll be in the den while you girls have fun.” Greg smiled as he started driving out of the parking lot. I stared out the window as we drove away from the school, just in time to see a pair of blazing golden eyes watching me as it started to rain.


	7. The Cold Wall

I ended up staying at Ashley’s longer than I had anticipated, I got home right when dinner was coming out of the oven. We were able to get our homework done in addition to finishing Bella’s present. Bella was just setting down the enchiladas when she saw me come in.

“Did you have fun with Ashley?” Bella smiled as she took off her oven mitt.

“Yeah, her parents are really nice. Is dad home yet?” I looked around but didn’t see his gun belt hanging on the wall.

“No, he isn’t home yet. I think he’s working late tonight. Something about a bear attack.” Bella got a couple of plates down and set them on the counter.

“Oh. Well, I wanted to talk to you anyway. I know that how Edward Cullen acted the other day bothered you, and I know that you’ve been missing home, so Ashley and I thought of something that we thought would cheer you up.” I sat down my backpack and started looking for the small wrapped box.

“Donna, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.” Bella frowned. I know she didn’t like it when other people could tell what she was feeling even when she tried to hide it, but my sister was just a really horrible actress.

“Just hush and take the present, Bella. Please. It made Ashley really happy to be able to make something for you.” I handed her the small box that Ashley and I had wrapped and tied a ribbon on. I didn’t mean to sound rude, but Bella can be very difficult about presents. Bella sighed and took the box reluctantly. When she opened the box, her eyes went wide and she actually gasped when she saw it. It was a necklace with a long silver chain and a large, glass oval ornament on it. Inside the ornament was a small painted mural of the Arizona landscape. It was a barren desert with a little painted cactus, and a clear blue sky with a bright sun that glowed in the light.

“Donna…. This is beautiful.” Bella was staring at it like she couldn’t really believe that it was real.

“Wait, watch this.” I took the necklace and flipped it over before handing it back to her. It was the same landscape, but with a night sky with stars and a bright glowing moon. “Ashley has a lot of really cool art stuff. We blew the glass ourselves and everything. It was really cool.”

“Thank you, Donna.” My sister teared up as she hugged me. I was glad she liked the necklace, and I hoped that it was able to cheer her up and brighten these rainy days for her, even just a little.

The next day Bella seemed a little happier, although she told me after school that Edward still hadn’t shown up to biology class. He wasn’t at school the rest of the week, either. A few rumors had started over his absence, some people said that they had heard that Edward had gotten sick and was staying at home. Others heard that he was in an accident and had to be sent to a hospital in the city. Some other people had said that they heard he went out of town in order to visit some relatives out of state for some unknown family emergency. Whatever the reason was that he was gone, I was glad that he wasn’t around to ruin my sister’s good mood. The other Cullens never really commented on any of the rumors, not that I had ever seen anyone talk to them aside from each other. But they didn’t act concerned at all, so whatever reason it was that Edward was gone I could safely assume that he wasn’t in any danger or drastically sick. Hopefully, whatever it was that was keeping him away would persist long enough so that he would either have to transfer elsewhere so Bella wouldn’t have to interact with him, or enough time would pass so that he was over whatever it was that caused him to be in such a hostile mood that day.

Over the course of the week, Bella and I had established a pretty decent pattern both at home and at school. Bella and I got home several hours before dad each day, so we would get home and do our homework and then make dinner, clean the kitchen, and then retreat to our room. Dad was pretty easy to live with; he didn’t really hover, and he respected our space and privacy. The pattern for school remained mostly the same, and Ashley introduced me to a few more people so our lunch table really grew although I still couldn’t remember all of their names yet. Rosalie would glare at my sister every day during lunch, while the remaining Cullen’s stared their opposite directions not really looking at anyone. By the end of the week, we were pretty set in our pattern and had a decent idea of what to expect every day. Bella seemed to brighten up a little more each day and even started to ignore Rosalie glaring at her. I would pass Rosalie at least a couple times a day in the hallway, and she would always stare at me as though she were searching for something. But on Friday, I didn’t see her at all in the hallways and she wasn’t at lunch. I was beginning to think maybe she had left to join her brother wherever he was, until I literally ran into her on my way to Biology. I was walking down the hallway and thought I had seen something move beside me, so I turned to see what it was and then I ran into what I thought was a very cold wall. I was so caught off guard that I couldn’t catch my balance, I was very sure that there was nothing at all in front of me a second ago. I fell backwards onto my butt dropping my books, and then looked up straight into the golden eyes of Rosalie Hale.


	8. A Walk In the Woods

“I…I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” I’ve never really been one to stutter, but seeing Rosalie standing over me with her intense golden gaze seemed to make me forget the English language. I quickly tried to gather my books as she just stood there staring at me like she was waiting for something. “I hope I didn’t make you drop anything.” I looked around as I stood up, I didn’t see anything of hers.

“Take a walk with me.” She said curtly as she started walking passed me towards the exit door.

“But… I have class.” I looked at her and then towards my biology class. I had two classes left today, I couldn’t just skip.

“You’re sick. I’ve already taken care of it and I’ll be taking you home, now take a walk with me.” She stopped and looked at me like she really didn’t like having to repeat herself. I wasn’t really sure why Rosalie had spoken to my teachers, or even if she truly had at all, but I wasn’t about to argue with her again. Besides, I wanted to know what she could possibly have to talk to me about. Without another word Rosalie started walking towards the door, and I quickly followed after her. Rosalie grabbed my bag and placed it over her shoulder silently as we walked out the door of the school and into the tree-line outside. I didn’t say anything either, I was waiting for her to bring up whatever it was she wanted to discuss.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” She finally said after we had walked for a little while in silence. We were following some kind of path, but it didn’t seem to be traveled very often.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.” I replied honestly. With Rosalie, I feel as though honesty would be best. I couldn’t be sure, but I just got the feeling that if I tried to be dishonest in some way it would seem like an insult to her intellect.

“You don’t talk much at school, either.” She commented. Rosalie never looked anywhere but ahead, and her voice was very impassive. Not quite emotionless, but like she didn’t care about anything that anyone had to say and was always on the verge of annoyance.

“You absorb more of what other people say when you’re quiet. I don’t see you talk to anyone other than your siblings.” I pointed out. Rosalie made a noise that wasn’t quite a chuckle but sounded almost amused.

“No one else at that school is capable of an intelligent conversation. That’s the problem with being smarter than others, talking to them is like talking to a bunch of goldfish.” She said this like it was a fact that everyone knew.

“That sounds a bit narcissistic.” I hoped that I was reading her correctly and that this wouldn’t anger her.

“It’s only narcissistic if it’s your opinion rather than a proven fact.” She responded coolly.

“Am I a goldfish?” I looked over at her curiously.

“Are we having a conversation?” She asked without looking at me.

“Yes.” I said as I went back to looking in front of us. We were going pretty deep into the woods; I had no idea where we were. I just hoped I wouldn’t trip.

“Then you aren’t a goldfish.” She stated. I thought about that for a moment as we walked in silence. Part of me was really flattered that she saw me as intelligent, or at least worthy of conversation, but another part of me wondered how she had come to that conclusion in the first place since we’ve never really had a conversation before.

“How far are we walking?” I asked, looking at her again. I’m relatively certain that she doesn’t plan to hurt me or get me lost, but we didn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular.

“Until I figure you out.” She responded blankly. She never looked anywhere but straight ahead and trekked through the woods in stiletto heels with more ease than I was in regular shoes.

“How’s that going for you?” I asked. She was silent a moment before responding.

“Not as well as I would have hoped.” She looked over at me for a moment as if she were studying me. I looked over at her and tried to figure out what she could possibly be looking for. Suddenly she sighed and veered slightly to the left, changing our direction.

“And if you can’t figure me out today?” I asked as I followed her matching her pace, although it seemed more that she was matching mine.

“Then I’ll try again tomorrow.” She stated simply.

“I might be able to help if you told me what you were looking for.” I hoped she understood what I meant. All those times I’ve seen her looking at me, it seemed like she was searching for something, but now that I’ve verbally made that vague reference I started to wonder if maybe that just wasn’t something my mind created on its own. Maybe I was misinterpreting her look, and I just sounded like a lunatic. Everything about Rosalie I’ve guessed so far has seemed to be correct, hopefully I was right about this one too.

“I’ll know it when I find it.” She smiled slightly, and I smiled too. I knew then that we understood each other. We were both searching for something about the other that we couldn’t place but would know it when we found it. I just hope that whenever Rosalie finds whatever it is that she’s looking for, I can find my answers too. We stayed silent for the rest of the walk, and before long we were back in the school parking lot. Rosalie dropped my bag into the back seat and got in the drover’s side door. I got in the passenger’s door and put on my seat belt. Rosalie’s car was a bright red convertible, and one of the few cars left in the lot. Bella had already gone home, or maybe she got a call back from that job she had applied for in town. Rosalie drove me home, and I knew by her speed it would most likely only take a few minutes. I was a little sad to go home, I didn’t know when I would get the chance to see Rosalie like this again. At least now I knew that we both had questions, even if we weren’t sure what they were, but I felt as though I would never get my answers just looking at her silently from across the hall or the cafeteria. I knew better than to invite myself to go on another walk with her tomorrow, but I wasn’t sure how I could open the door for another opportunity like the one I had today. Before I had an answer, we were stopped in front of my house. I looked over at Rosalie once more and then got out of the car.

“Thanks for the ride home.” I said as I grabbed my bag out of the back seat.

“You’ll eat lunch with me tomorrow. Be there on time.” She said without looking at me, and then sped away before I could answer. I suppose she already knew she didn’t need one. I had the feeling that although we were very different people, Rosalie and I understood each other. I smiled slightly as I walked back towards the house. As soon as I had gotten inside, Bella was right in front of me looking me over and feeling my forehead with a very worried expression on her face.

“Are you alright? Where have you been? I was told you had to go home early because you were sick and then I get home and you aren’t here. Do you have a fever? Do we need to go get some medicine?” Bella’s mind had undoubtedly gone to the worst-case scenario. It took me a moment to remember what she was talking about, it seemed so long ago that Rosalie had mentioned that she had told my teachers that I was sick. I just hoped that Bella was able to focus on her classes after lunch and wasn’t worried about my fake illness the whole time.

“I’m ok, it was nothing really. I was just feeling really dizzy and light-headed was all. Rosalie Hale took me for a drive and then brought me home, I feel a lot better. I guess I just needed some air.” I hated lying to my sister, but I knew she wouldn’t approve of me lying and skipping class just to go on a walk with Rosalie.

“Rosalie Hale? I never would have expected that. She wasn’t mean to you, was she?” Bella asked. She seemed relieved I wasn’t sick, but now she had a new concern. I knew she would be worried about me being with Rosalie, since her only experience with Rose was her icy glare every lunch period.

“No, she wasn’t mean to me. We didn’t really talk that much, she actually invited me to sit with her at lunch tomorrow.” I hoped that Bella wouldn’t feel like I was abandoning her.

“That’s odd. Why would she do that?” Bella looked at me skeptically.

“I don’t know, but I’ll never know if I don’t go.” Besides, I don’t think her friends particularly enjoy a bunch of sophomores sitting at their table every day.

“Alright, just be careful. She doesn’t really seem like the kind of person you would want to hang around.” Bella looked at me like she was still deciding whether I was sick or not.

“I’ll be careful, it’s just the cafeteria.” I pointed out.

“I guess you’re right. As long as she’s nice to you, that’s what matters I guess.” Bella tried to sound supportive, but I knew she didn’t really like the idea.

“Yeah. We should get going, dad said to meet him at the diner tonight.” I said as I ran up the stairs to go put my bag in our room. I was hoping that reminding Bella about food we didn’t have to cook would take her mind off of Rosalie. Judging by how quickly I heard the door close and the truck start up, I was right.


	9. The Epiphany

When Rosalie said I would be sitting with her for lunch, I didn’t know she meant that I would be sitting at the Cullen table with all of them, minus Edward of course. I walked in the cafeteria and didn’t see Rosalie, but she was waiting for me at the end of the line. Ashley looked horrified as Rosalie grabbed my sleeve and literally pulled me over to their table and sat me down next to Alice, who was practically vibrating with delight. Alice sat on the table right next to me smiling a very sweet smile, while Jasper sat on the other side of her in an actual seat on the end looking very annoyed. Jasper avoided eye contact with me and stared across the room in the opposite direction as though to emphasize his disapproval of this situation. Rosalie sat across from me on the other end of the table and her huge boyfriend Emmett sat on the end opposite of Jasper on my other side, smiling like a child who was just given a new toy for Christmas.

“You didn’t get food. Aren’t you hungry?” Rosalie said with an air of disapproval.

“She doesn’t typically eat lunch, Rose.” Alice said in her high melodic voice without moving her eyes off me.

“She’ll eat.” Rosalie slid her tray across the table to me, which hit my arm probably harder than it was intended to. Alice grimaced slightly like she knew how much that must have hurt, but I tried not to react.

“You don’t eat lunch either.” I responded casually.

“Oooh,” Emmett chuckled. “Better watch out. This one talks back.” Rosalie gave him a sharp look and he fell silent.

“Doesn’t she have her own table to sit at? I’m sure her friends miss her.” Jasper said almost quietly. I got the feeling that he really didn’t want me here.

“Nonsense, Ashley is her only friend over there and she knows plenty of other people at this school. There’s no reason in the world why she can’t sit with us.” Alice replied cheerily. I’m not sure why that made Emmett laugh, but I’m guessing that was some kind of joke that I missed.

“Eat.” Rosalie stated. She was ignoring the commentary of her siblings and never took her intense gaze off my face. I grabbed an orange off of Rosalie’s tray and started peeling it.

“How are you liking Forks, Donna?” Alice asked. She also never stopped looking at me, like she saw something she truly enjoyed.

“I like it, it’s a nice change from Phoenix.” I said as I finished peeling my orange. Something about Alice made me want to smile, and I wasn’t sure what it was. I thought Ashley’s joy was contagious, but something about Alice made that statement more true than it was with Ashley.

“How does your sister like it?” Alice asked like this answer was vitally important.

“She hates Forks, she prefers Phoenix. But I think she’s settling in really well.” I started picking the pith off of my orange.

“Why doesn’t she like Forks?” Alice asked, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in concern.

“She isn’t a fan of the size, and she doesn’t like the weather here.” I answered staring at my orange. Rosalie had been glaring at Alice ever since she brought up my sister, but she smiled just a little when she heard that Bella doesn’t like the rain.

“And what about you, Donna? Do you like the weather here?” Rosalie asked.

“Yeah, I like colder climates.” I responded looking up at Rosalie. It had become a habit to return her gaze anytime I felt her looking at me, since she always seemed to be searching for something. Maybe if I started eating lunch with the Cullens, I could figure out why they seemed so familiar.

“Why doesn’t your sister like the weather? Is it the rain?” Alice asked, she seemed a little persistent of the topic.

“She says the rain gives her bad dreams; she doesn’t sleep well.” I shrugged.

“But dreams come through stone walls.” Jasper muttered quietly, chuckling to himself. I stopped picking at my orange and froze entirely. That line, I knew that line.

_“But dreams come through stone walls, light up dark rooms, or darken light ones, and their persons make their exits and their entrances as they please, and laugh at locksmiths.” -Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla._

Carmilla was written in 1872, about a rich and beautiful female vampire. Suddenly, all of the familiarity made sense. It wasn’t because I had seen them before, it was because everything that was odd about the Cullens I had seen before. Or, rather, read before. The beautiful, flawless, skin and unearthly grace and charm was straight out of _The Vampyre_ portrayed by Lord Ruthven, who used his beauty and magnetic charm to lure various lovers into his arms and drain them of their blood. The cold exterior, the extreme strength, even the mannerisms are things I’ve been reading about in novels since I was small. _That’s_ why they seemed so familiar. But it couldn’t be true, could it? This is material out of a novel, not something from reality. And yet it made so much more sense than them just being strange.

“Donna?” Alice asked. I looked up and noticed that they were all staring at me, everyone other than Rosalie. Rosalie was staring at Jasper with an enraged look in her eyes like he made some vital and costly mistake. Jasper was looking at me for the first time with what was almost a look of horror, and Emmett and Alice were looking at me very carefully, as if trying to assess a possibly dangerous situation.

“Oh, sorry.” I said casually as I tore off an orange slice. “That just reminded me of something mom used to say, got stuck in some memories. I didn’t mean to be so rude.” I hoped my lying skills wouldn’t fail me now. Everyone seemed to relax ever so slightly, and Alice and Emmett went back to smiling carelessly.

“Hey, you shouldn’t daydream so much. You’ll end up with your head in the clouds all the time like Alice.” Emmett chuckled as he nudged Alice playfully. Alice smiled and rolled her eyes.

“There is nothing wrong with daydreaming. It wasn’t rude at all Donna; we were just concerned you didn’t feel well.” Alice said as she looked back at me. Maybe it was because I was used to Rosalie’s honesty, but I could tell by her gaze that she was lying. At that moment, the bell rang.

“Thanks for letting me sit with you today, it was great getting to chat with all of you. I’ll see you later.” I got up grabbing my bag and my neglected orange and walked out the door as casually as I could. I glanced behind me to see if I could tell whether I had been convincing in my attempt at nonchalance, they were all looking at each other still seated at the table. I could tell by the looks on their faces, they knew.


	10. Scenery

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I didn’t realize until after class was over that I did homework in class the entire time rather than taking notes. The good news was that in the course of one class period I had finished a week’s worth of homework, the bad news was that I still had no idea what to do with the information that I had. Of course I wasn’t going to do anything stupid like tell anyone, they would automatically think I’m crazy. Even if they would have believed me, I had no reason to expose them. They’ve been here for years and there have been no mysterious deaths or instances of mass panic, obviously they were able to blend in with people and be fine. I would only cause unnecessary problems for multiple people if I didn’t keep this information to myself, of this I was certain. But what did that entail? Did not telling anyone include Bella? I don’t think Bella would believe me anyway, especially since she often tells me that I take my novels too seriously. I’m worried about if Edward Cullen comes back, since he had such a strong reaction to her, I’m very concerned as to what that might mean. I was still lost in thought while walking towards the truck when I noticed Bella looking at me with a very concerned look on her face.

“Are you ok?” She asked as I opened the door. “How was lunch with the Cullens?”

“It was fine, they’re actually really cool.” I replied casually as I got in and set my bag in the floor at my feet.

“Did they say something to you? You seemed distracted in gym.” Bella persisted.

“It’s just a lot to think about, you know? They aren’t what I would have expected.” I lied casually. “Jasper is super serious and stoic, and Alice is like an energized little pixie. And Emmett is super carefree and playful despite his enormous size, and Rosalie is a really deep thinker. They just aren’t what you would expect when you just see them from a distance.” It wasn’t a lie entirely, all that I said was true. The statement about them not being what someone would expect was more true than she knew.

“Huh.” Bella responded as she looked at the steering wheel lost in thought. “I guess that makes sense. It isn’t fair to judge a book by its cover.” She looked slightly guilty, and I knew she was thinking of her prejudgments of at least two of the Cullen clan. I left the conversation as it was, satisfied that she had no suspicions and had enough to think about as she pulled out of the parking lot. I stared out the window watching the sky, it looked like it might rain soon. I hope it rains before tonight, I never realized just how little sleep I got back in Phoenix until we came here. The rain lulls me to sleep every night and I wake up much more restful than I ever did living with mom. At that moment, my phone buzzed. I had gotten a text from an unknown number. I stared at my screen for a moment before I opened the message.

_Take a walk with me._

I froze. I already knew it was Rosalie. I didn’t even wonder how she got my number now that I knew what she was, I’m sure they had ways of finding these things. My phone buzzed again.

_I know you don’t have any homework. Take a walk with me._

“Who is that?” Bella asked as she side glanced at me for a moment before returning her focus to the road.

“Raquel, one of Ashley’s friends, she wants me to come over today since we weren’t assigned homework. Ashley gave her my number.” There wasn’t really any use in telling Bella I already did the homework, that would just raise more questions.

“You should go, it’s a Friday.” Bella smiled like she always did when I brought up interacting with others. She felt as though socialization was a must for teenage years, despite not really interacting much herself.

“I’ll see what she wants to do.” I mumbled as I typed a response.

_Where would you like to take a walk?_

I wasn’t sure that this was a good idea. I couldn’t really place why or how I knew, but I knew that if Rosalie felt like I was a threat I wouldn’t be coming home.

“No matter what she wants to do, you should go.” Bella encouraged. I know she wouldn’t be so excited if she knew who really wanted me to meet up with them. My phone buzzed with a response.

_The woods by my house. We have beautiful scenery. I’ll pick you up in 10 minutes._

I thought for a moment. Rosalie probably wanted to determine what it was that I knew, and if I was a threat. If I avoided her, that would show that I was either scared or trying to hide something. Neither of which were good. Scared people do stupid things, unpredictable things. Scared people couldn’t be trusted to keep a secret. I began forming a plan as I typed my reply.

_Pick me up around the corner from my house instead, I’ll meet you there._

“Raquel wants me to go with her and some friends to Seattle and go shopping, maybe stay the night if we stay out too late. Ashley is going too of course. Do you think dad would be ok with that?” I asked. Even if I didn’t come home, no one would search for me until tomorrow if not the day after, so the Cullens would have time to do whatever they needed to do. And people went missing in Seattle all the time, and worst-case scenario they would think I ran away. If they looked into anything or asked Ashley, they would find that Raquel didn’t exist and dad would probably think it was some kind of online predator or something. Nothing that would point to the Cullens and trigger anyone else being placed into harm’s way.

“Don’t worry about dad, I’ll take care of that. Do you need me to drop you off at Ashley’s house?” Bella asked. She was getting more excited about this pretend trip than I was.

“No, that’s ok. Raquel is going to pick me up. Can you just drop me off here? She said her house was like two streets down and I’d like to walk. You keep it really toasty in here and I’d kind of like to cool down before I get there.” I looked over at Bella to see if she believed the lie. By the way she had looked at her heater, I would say she did.

“Ok, just message me every once in a while, so I know you’re alright.” Bella said as she pulled over on the side of the road. “I’ll take your books to our room.”

“Thanks, Bella. You’re the best.” I took out my books from my bag and laid them in the seat and then leaned over and hugged my sister. It was hard not to make it longer, since I knew that I might not be coming home. But it would be best to act as normal as possible, so she didn’t suspect that anything was wrong.

“Have fun.” Bella smiled as I got out of the truck and then I watched her drive away. I started walking down the street as I messaged Rosalie about where I was. I walked down the street off the main road so that no one would see me getting into her car. I admired the scenery as I walked, Forks really was a beautiful place. It was so serene. Maybe that’s why I was so calm despite seriously considering the fact that I would soon be killed. I wasn’t really worried about it though, and I couldn’t place why. Before I could contemplate it further, I saw Rosalie’s red convertible speeding into view.


	11. Revelations

Rosalie and I drove in silence for a while after she picked me up on the side of the road. No one was really out today; they were probably all in town. Rosalie’s top was down even though it looked like it might rain at any time, I wasn’t very worried about it. Rosalie studied my expression from the corner of her eye, watching me carefully as I stared at the passing trees as we drove.

“How was English today?” Rosalie asked casually. I knew she was trying to start conversation before getting to the point, maybe she didn’t know how she was going to breech the subject yet.

“It was fine, I couldn’t really focus on the lesson, so I just did homework.” I responded as I stared out the window at the passing scenery.

“Does Bella know where you are?” Rosalie asked, her voice a little sharper. I could tell she didn’t like saying my sisters name.

“No. I told her I was with Ashley’s friend Raquel and we would probably be staying in Seattle tonight.” I responded casually.

“Ashley doesn’t know anyone named Raquel, there’s no Raquel in Forks.” Rosalie frowned, I’m not sure what she expected my answer to be, but I could tell that this was definitely not it.

“I know.” I rested my arm on the edge where the window would be and rested my chin on my arm looking at the trees.

“So, your sister thinks you’re hours away with a person who doesn’t exist and won’t even question your whereabouts until basically after the weekend.” Rosalie stated. Her frown deepened like this is not the conversation she was expecting to have. “So, no one knows where you are, who you’re with, and won’t even look for you for days. With no trail as to what actually happened to you, and a lie that would lead them in the wrong direction.”

“Yep.” Was all I answered. I didn’t know what else could really be said, she pretty much summed it up. Rosalie was silent for a moment like she was trying to figure something out.

“Why?” She seemed almost angry to have to ask, like she isn’t used to not knowing something. I adjusted my position in my seat so I could look at her.

“Wouldn’t you?” I stared at her for a moment to make sure she understood my question. If she were put in my position, wouldn’t she rather her family didn’t get hurt because of her? It took her a long moment to respond.

“No.” She responded, her mouth stuck in a frown. “That isn’t what I would do at all.”

“What would you have done then?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Lots of other things.” She scoffed like the answer was obvious. “Self-preservation is supposed to be a very prominent instinct, did yours get lost in the mail?”

“Self-preservation at the expense of the lives of others is selfish.” I stated plainly. “It isn’t my place to disrupt your lives and possibly the lives of my family, over something I didn’t even mean to do. But whether I meant to figure it out or not, that doesn’t matter. It obviously meant something very bad. That isn’t anyone else’s fault but mine, so no matter what consequences accompany that, I’m the only one who should have to face those consequences.”

“So, you don’t want us to face consequences if we kill you?” Rosalie looked at me like she expected me to change my mind if she phrased it so bluntly.

“If you kill me, then I know you saw that as the best option.” I said not breaking her stare. “You guys have lived here for years with no mysterious deaths. If you enjoyed killing people for fun then there would be cases of that somewhere, and you could get away with that a lot more easily if you lived in a city like Seattle where people go missing mysteriously all the time. Everything that you guys have done screams that you want to fly under the radar and just live your lives. And from what my dad has said about Carlisle Cullen, he’s the most altruistic person he's ever met. So with all of the information that I have, I know that you’re highly intelligent and if there’s another option where I live then you’ll find one. But if there isn’t, then I know that you didn’t see another option.”

“You don’t even know my family; how can you be willing to die for the safety of people you don’t even know?” She asked incredulously.

“Well, my dad runs that risk every day. I guess I get it from his genes.” I shrugged looking out the window again.

“Humans.” Rosalie scoffed and shook her head.

“Less dramatic than vampires.” I muttered.

“Excuse you?” Rosalie looked at me almost in shock. “I am not dramatic!”

“You’re all very theatrical. You with the vanity, Edward with the obvious ‘my existence is a sacrifice’ demeanor, Emmett overdoes basically everything, Alice is constantly in her own little world, and Jasper acts like he’s a god forced to live amongst mortals. And that’s just how you act at school.” I looked at her with a look you would give a child who’s caught in a lie. “You guys are all pretty dramatic. It suits you, don’t get me wrong. It adds to the whole aura of you guys, but don’t try to deny it. You know yourselves too well for that.” Rosalie was silent for a moment as she thought over what I said.

“You’re very observant. How did you know?” Rosalie looked over at me, once again taking her eyes off the road.

“I like classic horror and mystery novels.” I said with a shrug. “I knew that you guys seemed familiar somehow, it just didn’t click until Jasper recited a line from a book.”

“Something so harmless had such an effect.” Rosalie shook her head looking back at the road.

“It isn’t his fault; most people wouldn’t have made the connection. My mind is just…odd.” It was true, even mom and Bella have never seen how certain things connect in my brain. My mom said that I was just wired differently and read too many mystery novels, so I connect things that usually don’t have a connection.

“You aren’t wrong there. You and your sister, something isn’t normal.” Rosalie said as she took a turn down a back road.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I looked at her, more than a little confused.

“You and your sister have really puzzled Edward. His ability doesn’t work on either of you, but it doesn’t work in different ways.” Rosalie commented coolly.

“Ability?” I pressed. I hope that pressing the matter wouldn’t make her angry, but she did bring it up.

“Edward can read minds. Some vampires have extra abilities, something enhanced from a gift they had in a past life.” Rosalie explained. “Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future, and Jasper can manipulate people’s moods and emotions. Others have more subtle gifts from their past life, something that they have that’s enhanced, even for a vampire. Carlisle’s compassion, Esme’s kindness, Emmett’s strength,”

“And your beauty.” I finished.

“Exactly. And Tenacity.” She glanced at me before returning her focus to the road. “However, Edward says that you two are different. He can’t hear Bella’s thoughts at all, and when he’s around you his own thoughts just echo back. It’s like a brick wall and a mirror, and he doesn’t know why.”

“Is that why he left?” I asked. Rosalie was silent for a moment.

“No. Not exactly. Your sister threatens our lifestyle simply by existing.” Rosalie sounded almost disgusted.

“How does she do that?” I knew I was testing my luck by pushing the topic, but I needed to know.

“As you said before, Carlisle is very compassionate. He doesn’t drink human blood, he found that our kind can survive on animal blood. That’s what we do, all of us. However, just because we can survive off of animal blood doesn’t mean that we don’t still crave human blood. Edward has very good self-control, but your sister’s blood particularly entices him.” Rosalie explained it all so easily, like she was explaining some everyday concept. Although I suppose to her, this was an everyday concept. “He almost lost control, and if he would have done that it would have exposed us. I’m not sure what he plans to do about it yet, but he left so that no life was lost while he figured that out.” I thought about that for a moment. Bella almost died, just because her blood smells too appetizing.

“I guess that makes sense. Bella threatens your family without even trying after all the effort you make to lead a peaceful life, and she doesn’t even realize that she’s doing it.” I guess that explained why she hated Bella so much, and why she’s glared at her every day. And that explained what she’s been searching for each time she looks at me, she was wondering why our minds were so different.

“Nothing really rattles you, does it?” She asked softly. I looked at her, not really understanding the question. “You’re very calm, after everything I just told you. It isn’t natural to be so composed after something like this.”

“I don’t know, I’ve always been like this. Although I’ve never made any discoveries that can really compare, but I haven’t ever really found things surprising because I don’t really expect things not to be real.” I hoped that made sense, I was never the best at explaining things I didn’t quite understand myself. I just knew it to be true, even if I didn’t know how to explain why it was true.

“Well, I guess that just became a very useful trait.” Rosalie said as she pulled on to a small road that was almost entirely hidden by trees.

“So, what happens now? Have you decided the best course of action?” I looked at her, searching her face for an answer. It was a shame the sunglasses hid her eyes.

“No, I haven’t reached a decision. But for now, we’re going to my house, and you can meet the rest of the family. They can give their opinions as well.” Rosalie said as a house started coming into view from the trees.

“So, my life will be a group decision then?” I asked, cracking a small smile. I’m not sure why I found it funny, but I did. Rosalie chuckled.

“Yeah, I suppose you could say that.” Rosalie said as she pulled into a garage and turned off the car. “Let’s go.”


	12. The Cullen's

Instead of going into the woods like I thought we were going to, Rosalie walked right up to the house. I thought about asking if she were sure she wanted me to follow her into the house, but I already knew that would be a stupid question. Although I wasn’t entirely sure that going into the house was the best idea, I also realized that this was a stupid fear to have. I’d already accepted the fact that I probably wouldn’t be going home, so why should I be nervous about going into a house full of vampires? I guess it was the thought of someone other than Rosalie killing me that made me uncomfortable, rather than an actual fear of dying in the house. But I knew that if I were going to die today, Rosalie would do it herself. I had contemplated all of this before we made it to the door, which was opened before Rosalie even finished ascending the steps. Jasper stood at the open door, expressionless staring right at Rosalie.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jasper asked as Rosalie approached the door. Rosalie simply hissed as she passed him while entering the house. I followed close behind, meeting Jasper’s gaze as he looked at me. When my eyes met Jasper’s, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His confused expression didn’t change as he closed the door.

“You’re here!” Alice’s sing-song voice rang through the house as she ran up and hugged me with Rosalie glaring at her the entire time.

“Relax, baby, she was obviously wrong.” Emmett said as he walked up wearing his usual smile. He wrapped one arm around Rosalie and kissed her head while she remained rigid with her arms crossed glaring at Alice.

“Wrong about what?” I asked as I tentatively returned Alice’s hug, I didn’t want to seem rude.

“I wasn’t _wrong_ ,” Alice released me to give Emmett a stern look. “I just didn’t see her, so naturally I just assumed that would be the decision Rose made.”

“Well obviously I didn’t, so maybe you’re slipping.” Rosalie smiled but it was full of mockery and a bit of resentment rather than humor, like Alice had offended her in some way.

“Now, now.” Jasper soothed as he walked over to stand by Alice. “She seems to have a strange effect on all of our abilities, it isn’t Alice’s fault that she’s an exception to a few rules.” Ah, now I understand. Alice must have not seen me in a vision, so she came to the conclusion that Rosalie would decide to kill me. Apparently before Rosalie came back to the house, otherwise it wouldn’t elicit this form of reaction.

“It’s rude to talk about someone as though they aren’t in the room, let’s remember our manners.” Carlisle smiled as he entered the room with who I assumed to be Esme. Carlisle smiled a very welcoming smile as he held out his hand in invitation. “Donna, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m doctor Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife, Esme.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.” I said as I shook Carlisle’s hand. His grip was very cold, but very gentle, I could tell he was trying very hard to make sure I wasn’t frightened.

“Please, call me Esme.” Esme wrapped me very gently in a hug that reminded me of one’s my mother would give when I was hurt as a child, it was very comforting. Esme looked young, but there was something very maternal about her that made me feel at ease.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Esme. Thank you for having me.” I said as she released me from her embrace.

“Well, now that we have her here when do we eat?” Emmett smirked as Rosalie elbowed him hard in the stomach, making him stumble back slightly though more in surprise than anything else. The sound that echoed throughout the house when Rosalie’s elbow hit Emmett almost made me jump, it was so loud. Rosalie was glaring at Emmett almost as ferociously as she often glared at Bella as a venomous hiss left her lips.

“Woah, woah. Easy, babe. I was only kidding. I was trying to get her to jump or something that’s all.” Emmett held his hands up in surrender, but his face reminded me of a scolded child.

“Emmett, we don’t want to scare our guests for entertainment.” Carlisle chastised.

“It doesn’t matter, nothing has affected her since she got here. Not her blood pressure, not her mood, no rush of adrenaline.” Jasper mused as he walked around me as if my appearance held the answer. “Not even an accelerated heartbeat.” Jasper looked at me in confusion, and then the longer he stared the more confused he became.

“Jasper?” Esme asked, almost in concern like she didn’t fully understand his reaction.

“I can’t get a read on her. Anytime I try I only get a repeat of what I’m already feeling.” Jasper explained as he studied me. “It’s almost like a…”

“Mirror.” Rosalie smiled as she finished his sentence with a hint of pride. “She’s like a little mirror.”

“In all seriousness,” Emmett said like he felt the need to clarify he wasn’t joking, “what happens now? She knows, and Alice can’t keep an eye on her to see her decisions.”

“That isn’t entirely true.” Alice corrected. “I can see her if she’s with someone else, I just can’t see her directly.” I could tell that this clarification was more important to Alice than anyone else in the room.

“Whatever. Either way, she knows and with the whole thing with Edward and her sister it’s a huge risk. So, what do we do?” Emmett asked like he already had an answer in mind.

“She isn’t going to tell anyone, including her sister.” Rosalie said with conviction.

“While I have a very different end result in mind than Emmett, I do agree that it poses too high of a risk to just leave to chance.” Jasper insisted. I had a feeling that the end result Jasper had in mind was the one I was prepared for at the beginning of the day, the most simple solution.

“That isn’t necessary, Jazz.” Alice interjected softly. “She can hang around us and we’ll keep an eye on her.” Alice smiled like this was the perfect solution all along.

“We can’t just ignore what Donna wants in all of this; you’re all speaking about her as though she isn’t here.” Esme scolded her children and then smiled at me. “Donna, honey, would you like some tea? Lemonade perhaps?”

“Um, sure. Either would be great, thanks.” I smiled, trying to show that I wasn’t really bothered by their discussion. I felt like more of a problem today than I’d bargained for. Esme smiled sympathetically and left the room to go to what I assume to be the kitchen.

“Good, now that that’s settled, Donna needs to go through my closet.” Alice skipped over to grab my hand when Rosalie grabbed my sleeve and pulled me over by her so quickly that I could feel the coolness from Alice’s hand as I was pulled away.

“Nothing has been settled yet.” Rosalie said sternly. “I’m going to go have a chat with Donna. There will be no eavesdropping.” Rosalie gave Emmett in particular a stern look. Emmett sighed and rolled his eyes before the smile came back on his face.

“No problem, I need to go finish something in our room anyway.” Emmett smirked impishly before running off.

“Just 10 minutes first?” Alice implored. “I have the cutest little skirt that would…”

“No. End of discussion.” Rosalie said as she walked through the kitchen and out a back door. I quickly followed and grabbed a glass of lemonade from the counter on my way out.

“Thank you, Esme.” I said as I rushed out of the kitchen following Rosalie. Esme was no longer in the kitchen, but I was confident she heard me. I’m relatively certain that Rosalie isn’t going to kill me now, but from the sound of things I was going to be able to have some sort of choice in the matter. Whatever options needed discussed, Rosalie wanted to discuss them alone. While I would return home to my sister and father if I could, I had a sinking feeling that at least one of the options would be worse than death.


	13. Consequences

I tried to keep up with Rosalie while also trying to not spill my lemonade, but I had to give up one of those endeavors. I slowed my pace to my regular walk and took a sip of my lemonade, it was delicious. Too delicious to waste, and I wouldn’t be able to keep up with Rosalie anyway. It wasn’t long before Rosalie glanced behind her and saw that I was pretty far behind; she sighed in irritation and in a blur, she was back beside me. I suppose I should have been surprised since she had never done that before, but it just seemed like it should be a part of her.

“I don’t think you fully understand the position we’re all in now.” Rosalie finally spoke after what seemed like a very long silence.

“I know I don’t.” I said as I took another sip of my lemonade. “And I’m sorry.” Rosalie scoffed.

“You’re sorry? No matter what happens as a result of this, you’re the one who is going to suffer from it because of us and what we are and _you’re sorry?_ ” Rosalie seemed to be getting mad by what I was saying, but not really mad at me.

“It isn’t your fault that you are what you are, Rose. But you’ve made a huge effort to be different, and that’s not something I’ll ever be able to understand.” I stared at my glass and ran my finger around the rim. “Even if you used everything you had to the fullest and gave in to your nature and drank from humans, I couldn’t fault you for that. After everything that’s happened to you, nothing is forcing you to be different aside from your own moral compass. Every day you work very hard to try and live a normal life, or whatever semblance of that you can have, and that’s an effort you don’t have to make. I don’t even know the severity of the consequences for a human finding out, but I know that it would ruin everything you’ve worked so long and hard for. And for that, of course I’m sorry.” Rosalie looked at me with an expression I didn’t understand, but it almost looked like extreme sadness.

“Donna, you shouldn’t have to suffer just because we exist. That isn’t fair.” Rosalie’s voice cracked ever so slightly, and I knew then that she was actually in pain.

“Life isn’t fair, Rose. And I’m sure it just gets worse the longer you live it. I knew when I messaged you back that I might need to die, and I’m ok with that. I know that if you had another choice, that you would take it.” I was trying to make her feel better about the situation, but I don’t think I was succeeding.

“There are other choices.” Rosalie frowned. “But some of them I refuse to resort to.”

“What are they?” I asked as I took another drink of my lemonade.

“The two options I won’t consider are killing you and turning you. Being a vampire, living the life we do, it’s an existence of constant pain. I would do anything to be a human, grow old, and die.” Rosalie looked at the trees as a very bitter sadness seemed to overtake her, like she almost had what she wanted but that was lost long ago. “However, having you know and still live as a human can have very long-term consequences.”

“What do you mean?” I looked at her, waiting for an answer. If Rosalie, an immortal vampire, saw consequences as long-term, that was concerning.

“Our kind have rules, and rule-keepers.” Rosalie looked at me as she explained. “The rule-keepers are more like royalty; they’re known as the Volturi. There’s really only one main rule, but it is very inclusive. We must keep our kind a secret from the humans. That means we have to hunt discreetly, not fight overtly in open spaces, not allow our secret to be discovered. If a human discovers our secret, any human, they must be disposed of or turned.”

“What about someone who suffers from delusions? Or young children?” I asked. “Not everyone would be believed.”

“Not everyone would be believed, but they would make noise. And that’s a danger because there’s a chance.” Rosalie explained. “And children…” Rosalie paused for a moment while she collected her thoughts. “Well, I’ll explain more later tonight. Suffice it to say that the Volturi make no exceptions.”

“Tonight?” My eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“Your sister thinks you’re out with friends for the weekend, we might as well play that out.” Rosalie smiled as she walked. “Besides, I think Alice would love to take you shopping in Seattle. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the Volturi uphold the rules of our kind ruthlessly. If they discover that you know our secret and we didn’t dispose of you or turn you, then we could all be executed.”

“Then why…” I started to argue, but Rose cut me off.

“They have absolutely no way of knowing that you figured anything out, as long as we make sure that no one else discovers what we are, and no scene is caused where you actually have to encounter them.” Rosalie explained. “So, basically you’re just going to hang out with us a lot. I know you can keep a secret, but we have to be careful. And keep you safe if any nomads come around this area.”

“I see.” Was all I said as I took another drink of lemonade contemplating this information. While killing me still sounds like the most simple solution, I wasn’t going to beg to die or anything. Staying alive and gaining them as a friend group really didn’t seem too bad. However, one thing still weighed on my mind. “What about Edward?” I asked. “Is he a danger to my sister? Is he coming back?”

“He’s coming back, soon. But he wouldn’t be coming back if he were going to be a danger to your sister.” Rosalie assured me. “Come on, let’s go back to the house and I’ll tell you more about it. Once I tell Alice we can go shopping tomorrow, she’ll be ecstatic.” Rosalie chuckled and grabbed my hand leading me back to the house. I wasn’t sure why, but despite my happiness I had a horrible feeling that the decisions made today would have more serious consequences than even Alice could foresee.


	14. A Different World

The weekend passed so quickly it hardly seemed possible that it was over so soon. Rosalie spent all night on Friday telling me all about the Volturi and the guard, and the history of their kind. Alice told me stories about how all of the Cullens met each other, and after several hours Jasper even joined us and told me about the violent wars in the south and horrors of the Immortal Children. Alice and Rosalie spoke of the Volturi like they were something to be avoided or feared, but Jasper talked about the Volturi like they were people to be deeply respected. On Saturday, Rosalie and Alice took me shopping in Seattle. Alice did most of the work, but Rosalie kept me company while Alice babbled on in what seemed a different language, I was never really very keen on fashion. When we got back, Alice disappeared somewhere with most of the shopping bags and Emmett announced that it was his turn to teach me a lesson about vampires and snatched me up like a doll and ran outside. While I had seen them run before, feeling it was something totally different. It was like flying, but a lot smoother. Emmett showed me all of the “cool” things about vampires, how fast they could run, how strong they could be, how their skin glistened in the sun, even how they hunted. Emmett was a very hands-on teacher, and I had a feeling he really liked showing off. He ripped this giant tree out of the ground by its roots and turned it into a sled so we could ride down a giant hill, despite all the poor saplings who sacrificed themselves to make our sled path. We must have slid down that hill dozens of times before Rosalie came to check on us and put a stop to it. She was furious with Emmett, insisting he forgets how fragile humans can be. She didn’t stay mad for long, though. With Emmett’s constant not-so-innocent grin, I’m really not sure how anyone could stay mad at him for long. Despite how huge Emmett was, he really seemed like a child at heart who enjoyed having a new little sister to play with. I know I’m not his sister, but for the time we were in the woods having fun, it seemed like he was the big brother I never had.

Saturday night, Carlisle told me more about the Volturi and showed me his paintings. Carlisle seemed to have a high respect for them as well, though not as much as Jasper. Esme seemed to constantly be in the kitchen making me something to eat, I tried to eat as much of it as I could, but she could have fed an army. Esme was extremely motherly; I think she really enjoyed having someone to cook for even though they didn’t eat. Everything that she made was unlike anything I had ever had, it was delicious. It wasn’t until the sun started to come up on Sunday morning that they realized I hadn’t slept. I hadn’t realized it either, I had never felt tired. Rosalie insisted that I should sleep before I went home that afternoon, but I really didn’t want to. There were only a few hours left, and I didn’t want to waste them.

“Donna, you need to sleep. I can’t believe you didn’t sleep all weekend, why didn’t you tell us?” Rosalie scolded as she fluffed up the pillows on her bed. Alice was off getting more pillows and blankets from her room that she had insisted were necessary.

“I’m sorry, I just forgot. You guys don’t sleep, so it just slipped my mind I guess.” I shrugged. Rosalie narrowed her eyes at me as though to determine if I was lying.

“Humans don’t ‘forget to sleep’, you must have been tired at some point.” Rosalie insisted.

“I wasn’t. I don’t know why, I guess I was just really engaged with everything that was going on.” I played with the sleeve of my new silk pajamas that Alice had picked out. She had insisted I take a warm bubble bath and put on ‘decent clothing’ as she was certain that was the reason I hadn’t been tired.

“She just wasn’t in the proper attire and so her brain didn’t register that it was time for sleep.” Alice piped in cheerily as she came in with her arms filled with fluffy pillows and blankets.

“Can’t I just go to bed when I get home?” I asked. I knew this was a losing battle, but there was still hope.

“No, not sleeping isn’t healthy and if you wait until you get home you might crash and wake up late for school.” Rosalie explained as she arranged the pillows that were quickly taking up most of the bed. I frowned and played with my sleeve. I knew it was childish to believe that if I didn’t go to sleep that today wouldn’t end, but after I went home who knew when something like this would happen again. It was like I had spent this weekend in a different world, and if I return to my own then I might never get to come back.

“Can…can we do this again sometime?” I asked as I looked up at Rosalie. She stared at me for a moment like she didn’t understand.

“Of course, we can.” Rose turned down the blankets, the entire bed was covered in pillows aside from one little crevice in the middle that looked exactly my size. “Have you already forgotten what we said? You have to hang out with us a lot now. This isn’t the only time that you’ll be spending a weekend with the elusive Raquel.” Rosalie chuckled as she patted the bed. I smiled and crawled into the me-sized crevice. It was unbelievably comfortable, like laying on a bunch of feathers. I actually was starting to get tired, but there was one other thing I needed to know before I went to sleep.

“Rose, when is Edward coming back? And why is he coming back so soon?” I looked at Rose and then Alice as they both exchanged a look.

“Maybe we should discuss this after you’ve gotten some sleep.” Alice smiled as she covered me up.

“No, she should know.” Rose said, suddenly more serious. She always had a slight scowl on her face when she was about to mention Bella. “Edward has an infatuation with your sister, and since he apparently could think of nothing else but her the entire week, he is convinced that close proximity is a better cure. He’ll be here in time to go to school on Monday.” Rosalie explained, ignoring the looks she was getting from Alice. I could tell that Alice was very close with Edward from the way she talked about him and acted when others talked about him. There was something about Rose that gave me the impression she wasn’t Edward’s biggest fan for some reason. Not the hostility that she felt towards my sister, but almost like holding some kind of grudge. Sibling rivalry that she lost at some point, maybe? I would have to ask her about it sometime, but for now I could barely hold my eyes open.

“Oh.” I said as I stifled a yawn. “Alright.”

“Alright?” Rosalie asked incredulously like she couldn’t believe her ears. She looked like she was going to say something, perhaps argue why I should be upset but Alice shook her head.

“She’s tired, Rose. Let her sleep.” Alice smiled and made sure the blankets were completely covering me up. “Sleep well, Donna. We’ll be here when you wake up.” I thought I heard some very quiet whispering, but I couldn’t understand what it was. I was asleep before Alice was even finished adjusting the blankets.


	15. The Crash

I slept until late afternoon on Sunday, when I woke up Alice told me that my shopping bags were already in the car. Esme had made me breakfast and I thanked the Cullens for letting me stay and then Rose took me home. I was slightly worried that Bella would see Rose’s car, but she said that she would be gone before Bella realized that I was back. She dropped me off, and just like that I was back at home with nothing but shopping bags to prove that this weekend had even happened.

“Donna? Is that you?” Bella asked as I walked in the door.

“Yeah, it’s me.” I said as she walked in from the kitchen wrapping me in a hug.

“Are those new?” She said, looking at my outfit and then the bags.

“Yeah, we had a very successful shopping trip.” I said as I walked up the stairs. When I got to our room, I had noticed that there were new clothes in the closet on both my side and Bella’s. I froze for a second as I thought of how to explain this, it had to be Alice’s doing. I casually set the bag on my bed as though nothing were amiss.

“How long have you been home?” Bella asked in confusion as she looked at our closet.

“I’ve already made a couple trips up here. Your stuff is on your side, I thought you could use some warmer clothes.” I said carelessly as I looked in the shopping bag and smiled.

“How did you pay for this?” Bella asked as she gently touched the fabric of a new jacket in her closet.

“Don’t worry about it. Just be warm.” I smiled and pulled out two blankets from the bag. One was a blanket designed to look like a beautiful summer’s day, and one was designed to look like a beautiful winter’s night. I’m sure Alice already knew that we would love them. I set Bella’s blanket on her bed and spread mine across my bedsheet smoothing it out. Bella walked over and pulled me into a hug.

“Thank you, Donna.” I knew Bella was really touched, and I felt guilty since they weren’t really from me, but I didn’t know what else I could tell her yet. So, I just smiled and hugged her back.

“You’re welcome. I’m going to turn in early, I’m really tired.” Bella smiled and let me go.

“Ok, sleep well. I’m going to put Charlie’s plate in the fridge and then I’ll probably go to bed too. Love you.” Bella said as she turned and left down the stairs.

“Love you too.” I whispered as I laid down under the blankets. I didn’t sleep for a very long time; my head was swimming with all of the information I had acquired over the weekend. I was still seeing images of Carlisle’s paintings of the Volturi when the images started moving and turned into a dream.

Monday went by pretty normally; I ate lunch with the Cullens again and told Alice all about how Bella loved the things she got her. Apparently, Alice will someday be my sister’s best friend. To Alice, they’re already the best of friends since she’s lived through so many happy memories with her through her visions, but Edward doesn’t want her to talk to Bella yet because he’s convinced that Bella would be safer if none of the Cullens were in her life. Because of his ‘obsession’ as Rosalie calls it, and he wouldn’t be able to bear any of his siblings being close to her when he can’t be himself. It annoys all of them, but Alice respects his wishes and so she waits, since she says she knows that they’ll be together soon. Ashley doesn’t seem to mind that I don’t sit with her at lunch anymore, she’s perfectly content with eating lunch with her other friends and then spending time with me in our classes and the hallway. It’s a good balance, I think. Edward wasn’t at lunch today, but Bella seemed very distracted during gym. When we got back out to the truck, she told me that he had been there and talked to her, but he had been super weird, and his eyes had changed colors. I didn’t say anything the rest of the day. She didn’t either, she was wrapped in her thoughts of Edward. On Tuesday, everything went smoothly until after school. I was talking with Rosalie who was walking with her other siblings to the car, when I heard the sound of squealing tires and saw Tyler Crowley’s van heading straight for my sister. All of the Cullen’s saw it, too, but suddenly Edward wasn’t there. I watched as Edward stopped the van, and then lifted it up to save my sister’s legs. It wasn’t until it had crashed into the truck, that everyone else seemed to have registered the crash. Rosalie was infuriated, the other Cullens were more in shock.

“Donna, you need to get home.” Rosalie said through clenched teeth.

“But Bella…” I usually didn’t argue with Rose over anything, and I knew Bella would be fine since Edward had saved her, but she still would have been scared over what just happened and I needed to be with her.

“Emmett, take her home.” Rose’s voice was cold and infuriated. “Alice, you should get Jasper home too, quickly. Take my car.” Alice nodded and quickly pulled Jasper towards Rosalie’s convertible. I could see Jasper staring at the blood by the van, not daring to breathe. Before I could see anything else, Emmett had picked me up and darted behind the school before breaking into a run into the woods to take me home.

Emmett dropped me off, and then left to go take Rose her convertible at the hospital. Bella had seen Edward run; I was sure of that. I’m sure she also saw him pick up the van. Both of these things were problematic, and I know that they had to find a way to fix this problem. I won’t say anything to Bella, not until she figures it out herself or, hopefully, forgets about it. Unfortunately, knowing my sister that isn’t likely. Bella isn’t one to let things go. I spent the next several hours doing my homework until Bella got home. When she did get home, she seemed very agitated and ran to our room slamming the door. Bella didn’t say anything to me later that night, or the day after that. For three days, Bella and I cohabitated in almost complete silence. I was beginning to think that she had figured it out and knew that I had been keeping it from her. But on the fourth night when we were getting ready for bed, she suddenly slammed her hairbrush down on our dresser.

“He is so frustrating!” She exclaimed.

“Who is?” I asked, pretending to be confused. I knew exactly who she meant.

“Edward Cullen! He’s so rude, then he disappears, and then he comes back and is nice, and then he says for me to stay away from him, then he saves me from an out of control car and acts super weird at the hospital and now he’s pretending like I don’t even exist!” Bella almost yelled in frustration. I knew about what happened at the hospital, Rosalie had told me. But as far as Bella knew, I didn’t know about any of it.

“Woah woah, calm down. I’m sure there’s some kind of explanation for this.” I walked over and gently rubbed her arms, it’s how our mom used to get her to sleep because she was always so cold all the time.

“Oh, I know why he’s doing it. He has some kind of secret that he doesn’t want people to know about, but I saw it! He can’t just lie to me about it forever.” Bella huffed looking out our window.

“A secret? What kind of secret?” Hopefully she’s pretty far off the mark. Bella bit her lip like she knew she had a stupid idea and was embarrassed to say it out loud. I just gave her some time, she knows I would never laugh at her.

“I don’t know…I’m thinking kryptonite, maybe a radioactive spider?” She said as she looked at me sheepishly. I inwardly sighed in relief; she was really far off the mark.

“You think maybe he’s a superhero?” I asked as if for clarification.

“I know it sounds dumb, but I _saw_ him. He was on the other side of the parking lot and then he wasn’t, and he stopped the van, and I swear he _lifted_ the van off my legs! You believe me, don’t you?” Bella asked looking at me.

“Of course I believe you Bells, I will always believe you.” I picked up the brush and started brushing her hair.

“I know, I know.” Bella sighed and rubbed her face. “I just can’t think of a plausible explanation.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll think of something. Let’s get to bed, you have that interview at the store tomorrow.” I set the brush down and kissed my sister on the head. I knew my sister wouldn’t let it go, but I really hoped that she would find an answer to stifle her curiosity before things got out of hand.


	16. She Knows

Edward didn’t talk to Bella again for weeks, and eventually she started pretending he also didn’t exist. Bella got a job at a sporting goods store that Mike Newton’s parents owned, she would work there on the weekends and sometimes for a few hours after school. Most school days I stayed home and did homework and made supper for when dad and Bella got home, and on the weekends, I would go over and stay with the Cullens. Edward was pretty angry about this arrangement at first, but eventually he warmed up to me. He never talked to me that much, aside from asking me a question about Bella from time to time. Everything changed, though, one Sunday afternoon before I went home. I was eating some French toast that Esme had made for me when Edward suddenly appeared in the chair across from me.

“How’s your meal?” He asked with a charming smile. He must want something; he was acting way too sweet.

“It’s delicious. Esme is a wonderful chef.” I said as I took a drink of my orange juice, never breaking eye contact.

“Yes, she has many talents.” Edward said distractedly, as though he weren’t entirely certain he wanted to ask his question.

“I’m sure she does. You’ll never know the answer to your question unless you ask.” I said as I took another bite of my toast. Edward frowned.

“I’m not used to having to ask to get an answer.” Edward responded in frustration; he still didn’t like that he couldn’t hear what I was thinking. Anytime he was near me, he could only hear his own thoughts echoing back at him.

“Well, let me know how that works out for you.” I said cutting another piece of my toast.

“Does Bella have a type?” He suddenly asked. I stared at him for a moment before swallowing my food.

“What?” I looked at him, trying really hard not to smile. We had all made bets about how long his self-control would last in regards to staying away from Bella. Alice would win, of course, but it was still fun to make bets on what would trigger it. I guessed the Spring Dance.

“Does she have a type? Tyler Crowley, Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, do any of those seem like the type of guys she would go for?” He asked almost desperately.

“Why do you want to know?” I asked as I took a drink from my orange juice.

“Donna, please. You know I care about her, and I’m trying to do what’s best for her and if those kinds of guys will make her happy then that’s fine but… I just need to know. Please.” He looked at me and I could see in his eyes that he was really hurting over this. I knew he didn’t think he was good enough for my sister, but I also knew he didn’t think any of the guys at school were either. Not that any of them were her type. She was completely oblivious to the fact that basically every guy at that school liked her.

“No, Edward, none of them are her type.” I said as I ran my finger along the rim of my glass. “Bella is more, you know…” Edward leaned closer, listening very intently. “into the kind of guy who saves her from an out of control van and then ignore her for over a month.” I said casually as I took a drink of my orange juice. Edward frowned.

“I can’t be her type, I’m not good for her.” Edward insisted as though trying to convince himself of this fact.

“I think that Bella should be able to make that choice for herself. No matter what you feel about what you are, Edward, if you care about Bella then you’ll value her opinion and her right to choose. Thinking that you know better all the time is really demeaning and arrogant. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but if you choose to continue not speaking to her then admit to yourself that it is your choice. You haven’t allowed her to have one, so don’t lie to yourself and say that it’s for Bella. Because it isn’t. It’s for you, and your own fear of yourself.” I said as I got up and took my food in juice into another room, leaving a very shocked vampire behind me. That entire week, Edward still didn’t talk to Bella. I was beginning to think I had been wrong about him getting close to his breaking point, but on Wednesday night Edward was in our room and he just stood there, watching Bella sleep. Although it was kind of creepy, I didn’t say anything and tried to ignore it. On Thursday, Bella ate lunch with Edward and he took her home when she fainted from the sight of blood. Things seemed to go back to normal until Sunday when I got home from staying with the Cullens, who Bella still didn’t know I stayed with.

“Bella, are you ok?” I asked as I walked in our room setting my bag down. Bella was on the computer searching up lore about vampires, this had to mean trouble.

“At the beach yesterday, Jacob Black told me a very interesting story.” Bella said thoughtfully still staring at her screen. “It was about spirit wolves and what he called ‘the cold ones’, but something just doesn’t add up. These things I’m finding on here, they just don’t match what I’ve seen.”

“Vampires?” I said as I looked at the screen from over her shoulder. “Hmm. I dunno. What are you going to do?”

“Jess and Angela want to go dress shopping in Port Angeles on Tuesday, there are some bookstores there that I’m hoping will have some information about Indian legends there.” Bella said as she scrolled down the page. I would have to tell Rose about this, so she could get a handle on it.

I explained things to Rose the next day at lunch, and it seemed to make her very angry, she even crushed her bottle of water when Edward very enthusiastically nominated himself to keep an eye on her on Tuesday. On Tuesday night, Bella got home early from shopping in Port Angeles. I was in our room reading my warn copy of _The Tales of Poe, the Collection_ when Bella came and sat on my bed.

“Donna.” Bella said looking really calm but also excited. “I was attacked.”

“What?!” I exclaimed as I sat up and immediately started assessing her for injuries. “What do you mean you were attacked?! Who attacked you? Where? Why aren’t you in a hospital?”

“Edward saved me before anything happened.” She said as she started grinning like a schoolgirl. “He was in Port Angeles, and he scared them all off and then took me to dinner.”

“Edward…took you to dinner?” I said hesitantly. I could tell by looking in her eyes that she knew, the only question was whether or not she would tell me. Bella nodded and walked over to her bed laying down on it.

“I feel like we really connected, you know? I really feel like tonight we were in our own little world outside of reality.” Bella sighed. “He was so…honest. And open. I just hope that tomorrow, that doesn’t change. It just seemed too good to be true.” I knew that feeling all too well when I had first stayed the weekend with the Cullens. I’m glad that Bella knew, and that she was taking the news well. What concerned me was what would happen when she found out that I’ve known for months and never told her.

Bella didn’t say anything else, as she stared at the ceiling lost in her own thoughts. Before long, she was asleep, but I couldn’t fall asleep. The past few nights, I had a horrible feeling that someone was watching me. Like someone was outside my window, but I couldn’t see them. I had brought this up to Rosalie, but she explained that there were some other vampires in the area and that might be the cause for my discomfort, but she assured me that they were nowhere near my house. And yet, it was like I could feel eyes on me every night. I hope it’s nothing, but I had a horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen very soon.


	17. The Figure

The next day, Edward and Bella came out as a couple. Rosalie was furious, and for the rest of the week it was like they were in their own little world. They spent almost all their time together, and it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist. I don’t even think Bella realized that I wasn’t home that weekend. I don’t think she realized that I was gone at all, until Edward brought her to the Cullens house on Sunday and Bella was very shocked to walk in and find me playing checkers with Rosalie.

“Donna?” Bella asked, very confused. “What are you doing here?”

“She’s been coming here every weekend for months.” Rosalie explained nonchalantly. “She figured it out within her first week in Forks.” Rosalie didn’t smile, but I could tell by her voice that she was very pleased with the situation. I tried not to look at Bella because I knew she would be looking at me like I was a traitor, which I suppose I was. But before she could respond, Alice ran up and hugged Bella.

“Don’t blame her, we wouldn’t let her tell you. Edward was the most adamant.” Alice smiled her beaming smile. “We’re going to be the best of friends, and you can finally tell me how you like your wardrobe from back in January.” Bella stood there frozen for a second as it finally sank in how long I’d known.

“Bella,” I looked at her at last. “you didn’t tell me either when you found out.” I reminded her.

“Well yes but that’s different!” Bella was actually getting mad now, I felt a wave of guilt at making my sister feel this way.

“Why is it different?” Rosalie interjected. “Because you thought you were the one keeping her in the dark? Do you not like it when the tables are turned?” Rosalie challenged.

“Alright, that’s enough. You’re both very good secret keepers.” Edward soothed as he gently stroked Bella’s hair. Bella crossed her arms and looked down with a guilty expression on her face. Rosalie was right, and Bella knew it. I smiled a little knowing I was forgiven.

“Edward, have you told Bella about the game tonight?” Alice asked, bouncing on her heels with glee. She was ecstatic to finally be able to officially meet Bella.

“Game?” Bella asked looking up. “What game?”

“A baseball game.” I explained, stealing one of Rosalie’s checker pieces. “There’s a thunder-storm tonight, and it’s the only time they can play. I think they would prefer to show you themselves the reason why.”

“Are you going to?” Bella asked, still obviously disliking the idea that I was in the loop.

“No.” Rosalie quickly answered looking up. “I’m taking Donna home before it gets dark.”

“There are some nomads in the area.” Edward explained. “Rose doesn’t feel like it’s safe for humans to be out.” He chuckled and gently tousled Bella’s hair. “But Alice will see if there’s any trouble coming, so I think we’re alright. Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the rest of the house.” Edward smiled as he led Bella out of the room.

“Stupid, love-struck schoolboy.” Rosalie shook her head as she moved one of her pieces.

“You guys can keep her safe, right?” I asked. “Even if the nomads show up.

“Of course.” Jasper said as he walked around to our board, he had previously been standing silently by the door so that Bella’s blood wouldn’t be too enticing. He was fine, of course, but Edward was very overprotective. “We’re one of the largest covens that exist. We’ll be able to hold our own and protect Bella even if the nomads show up, don’t worry.” I nodded and continued with the game. Jasper was actually very nice, once you got to know him. He had countless stories from all of the wars he’s seen, and they never ceased to amaze me.

Rose took me home a short time later, and I didn’t see Bella again before I left. I hoped that she wouldn’t be mad at me when she got back. I decided to get some cleaning done since no one else was home, but I couldn’t focus on anything because I still felt like I was being watched. I was trying to ignore this feeling while scrubbing the kitchen counters when suddenly my phone went off making me jump. After saving my scrub brush from certain demise in the floor, I took a calming breath and answered my phone.

“Hello?”

“Donna, something’s happened.” It was Rose, and she sounded upset.

“Rose? What’s wrong?” I frowned as I took off my gloves and washed my hands, glad dad had left for the store earlier today and wasn’t home.

“The nomads heard us playing, and one of them took an interest in Bella. He’s hunting her. Alice and Jasper are going to take her somewhere safe, but Bella is going to pretend to be angry and leave Forks to keep your dad from becoming a target.” Rose was explaining quickly, and there was a breeze like she was running.

“How long will they be gone?” I asked. If Bella left, dad would be heartbroken.

“I don’t know. Until it’s safe. Stay at the house, we’ll be watching it. I’ll keep you updated.” Rose abruptly hung up the phone. I frowned as I put my cellphone in my pocket just as I saw dad pull in the drive. I went upstairs to pack Bella a bag before dad came in. By the time I was finished, dad was on the couch watching a game on tv. I took a breath and put my gloves back on right as Bella came running in the house.

I tried to drown out what was being said as best I could, because I knew that if I actively listened that I would get too involved and try to stop it and find another solution. The yelling and pleading seemed to go on for hours, even though I knew it was probably less than a minute. Finally, I heard the door slam and saw dad walk helplessly over to the couch and fall into it like he had nothing left. It broke my heart to see him this way. I took off my gloves and laid them on the counter as I walked over and silently sat by him on the couch and leaned on his arm like I used to do when I was little. Dad sniffed like he was trying not to cry and wrapped his arm around me.

“I just don’t know what to do Donna.” Dad was looking at the tv screen, which was turned off, with tears in his eyes. “I tried everything I knew how to do, and now it’s like I’ve lost her twice.”

“There isn’t anything you could have done, dad.” I said as I curled up next to him. “Bella is just confused and upset. She’ll calm down and see reason.”

“That’s the thing.” Dad said as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “I’m afraid she already has.”

Dad and I sat there for a long time after that in silence, and we ended up sleeping on the couch. At school, Rosalie had informed me that they had arrived safely in Phoenix and the rest of the family were actively hunting the two vampires, James and Victoria, who were hunting Bella. The third member of their coven had apparently left, not wanting to be in the middle of this conflict. James was chasing Bella while the rest of the Cullens kept Victoria, who had stayed local, on the run. Dad was spending even more time at work than he had before, not getting home until late into the night. On the second night that Bella was gone, I was washing dishes after putting a plate for dad in the fridge when I got the feeling once more that I was being watched. I shook my head to try and convince myself I was being ridiculous. Even though the others had gone to Phoenix with Edward to continue tracking James, Esme and Rose had stayed behind to make sure dad and I were safe and to continue chasing Victoria. While turning off the water and drying my hands off with a towel, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move in the woods. I looked out the window and froze. There, in the tree line was a giant dark figure. It stood at almost 7 feet tall and looked incredibly menacing. It was larger than Emmett, by both height and width, and it was standing very still, looking right at me. I couldn’t make out much in the darkness, all I could see was that it had red eyes that seemed to be glowing, and it was smirking. I tried not to focus on the teeth that were shining in the moonlight, when suddenly the figure winked and disappeared. I stood there frozen for a long moment, until dad burst in the door running down the hall towards his room.

“Donna, go pack a bag!” Dad yelled from the other room. “Bella is in the hospital; we need to go now!” Hearing that my sister was in the hospital made me forget all about the menacing figure outside the window. I ran upstairs and quickly packed a bag, along with a few things I was sure dad would forget, and within a few minutes we were in the cruiser speeding into the dark night.


	18. Gone

_***Felix POV***_

I smirked as I saw her leave with her father in the cruiser, I knew she had seen me. I almost thought she’d seen us a few times before, but we’ve stayed far enough away the Cullens wouldn’t pick up our scent. Aro sent us to appraise the situation here a few weeks ago; there were nomads in the area who were beginning to draw too much attention. It was also very close to the Cullens’ territory, and Aro is always interested in Carlisle’s affairs. We stayed so long because we noticed one of the females of the Cullen clan spending a lot of time with a human. We’ve been assessing the situation and have also discovered that one of the males has also taken an interest in a human from the same house, but as his mate. Oh, Aro was going to _love_ this.

“Felix, it’s time to go. Aro is awaiting a report.” Demetri said as he emerged from the shadows.

“Alright, let’s go before the females come back to do a perimeter around the house.” I looked at the house one more time. Until next time, _mia piccolina fior._

_*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************_

_***Donna’s POV***_

We spent nearly a week in Phoenix before Bella felt well enough to go home. Mom had offered to let us live with her in Jacksonville, Florida, but Bella and I had both wanted to stay in Forks. Jasper explained to me what all happened that landed Bella in the hospital, and then told me the story that mom and dad needed to hear. When I told him about what I saw, he assured me that it had to have simply been Victoria up in a tree. I knew he was wrong, but I didn’t press the issue. When we got Bella home, everything seemed to return to normal. Edward even took her to prom at the end of the school year. During the summer, Bella mostly worked and spent time with Edward, and Edward had made it a habit to stay in our room all night and hold Bella as she slept. Rosalie and Emmett had ‘graduated’ at the end of the school year and went on vacation to Africa, so I felt rather lonely most of the summer. Edward, Alice, and Esme were all busy with Bella, Carlisle was typically in his office, and Jasper was typically in the study. I spent most of the summer at the Cullens’ house in their library so that dad wouldn’t think I was being left out or that I had no friends. I didn’t mind, spending the summer reading all of the books in the Cullens’ library was actually a really nice way to spend the summer. Since so many of them weren’t in English, I started to learn how to read in Latin. Carlisle and Jasper helped me sometimes after they had noticed I was reading books that were printed in another language. By the end of the summer, I was able to successfully read the books in Latin and I had started to learn to read some of their books printed in Italian from when Carlisle spent a few decades in Italy. I wasn’t perfect at it, but it was a lot easier to begin after you already knew Latin.

At the beginning of school, I didn’t sit with the Cullens anymore since Rosalie was gone. Bella sat at their table now, and I sat at a table with Ashley and her friends. Rosalie and Emmett came home just in time for Bella’s birthday, and Alice had insisted on throwing her a party. That was when it all started to fall apart. Bella had accidentally cut her finger, and Jasper had tried to attack her. Edward accidentally injured Bella while trying to get her out of the way, and everyone was angry ever since. The rest of the week, none of the Cullens spoke to us. On Thursday, Rosalie picked me up in her convertible as I was walking home from school since Bella had to work. I knew something was wrong right away, Rose usually would have called first.

“Donna, what I’m about to tell you, you can’t tell Bella.” Rose’s voice was cold and even, like she was extremely angry but there wasn’t a resolution to her problem.

“I won’t tell Bella.” I promised. Bella hardly even noticed me around anymore, sometimes I wondered if she even remembered she had a sister. Rosalie took a calming breath before she continued.

“We’re leaving.” She stated. I blinked a few times as I processed what that meant.

“You’re…leaving? When?” I looked at Rose. I knew she wouldn’t be telling me like this if I were going with her, she was telling me goodbye.

“Edward is being ridiculous. He’s pitching a fit and being overly dramatic and insisting that we all disappear so that Bella will no longer be in danger because of him. He insists that we all have to go, immediately, without a word, and completely cutting ties.” Rosalie was furious as she stared straight ahead as she sped down the road.

“Completely cutting ties…forever?” I looked at her trying to contain my emotions. I felt a huge pain in my chest, and it seemed to be getting worse. Being without her for a summer was hard, but I knew I would see her in a few months. But leaving forever and never having contact again, it seemed like too much. I was trying desperately not to cry; I didn’t want to seem pathetic and I knew this wasn’t her choice.

“Yes, it’s completely ridiculous that we have to uproot everything and…” Rose was about to continue her rant when she turned and saw my face. She frowned and quickly pulled over to the side of the road and gently wrapped me in her arms. “Donna, honey, I’m sorry.” She stroked my hair as I tried even harder not to cry. I didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be.

“I know this isn’t your choice, I guess it would have always had to happen someday.” My voice cracked slightly but I was still successful in not crying.

“Donna I might be leaving, but I wouldn’t cut ties with you. I don’t care what my brother says, I will stay in touch with you. Not immediately, but I promise I will.” Rosalie assured me as she kissed my head. “We’re leaving tonight, Edward is following in the morning after he talks to your sister. But you have to keep this a secret, alright?”

“I will, I promise.” I nodded, desperate to cling to any rope she gave me. Rose and Bella never got along anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt anything to keep talking to Rose a secret.

“Good.” Rose drove me home and dropped me off, getting out and giving me one last hug. “Once you move out, I’ll come to where you are. But until then, I’ll send you something to keep in contact. I love you, Donna.”

“I love you too, Rose.” I hugged her tightly closing my eyes, it was like I was losing my best friend. Rose kissed my head one last time, got in her car, and she was gone.

I was numb except for the horrible pain in my chest as I walked into the house and up to my room. As soon as I was alone, I laid on the bed and cried. I cried for a very long time; I don’t even remember falling asleep. I hardly remember school the next day, all I remember is walking back home and curling up in my bed. I didn’t even notice how much time was passing, and I hardly noticed when a bunch of people flooded our house downstairs saying something about how Bella was missing. I know a long time had passed, but it only seemed like a few seconds before more people came rushing in with worried voices saying that they had found her. It wasn’t that I wasn’t worried for my sister, but I knew the source of her pain in a way that no one else did, and there was nothing that anyone downstairs could do about it. They were gone.


	19. Ghost

The next several months, Bella acted like a zombie. She functions, but you can tell that she’s completely dead on the inside. I was always a better actor than Bella, and I didn’t just lose my soulmate. Although the horrible pain in my chest never went away, during the day I was able to care for Bella and act relatively normal. Before long, I didn’t see my friends anymore either. I sat with Bella alone at the empty Cullen table, making sure she ate. I took over making supper and made sure she got to work on time. At night, I laid in Bella’s bed and held her as she screamed from her nightmares night after night. I understood why Bella forgot my birthday in October, and I tried to make excuses for her on Christmas that she was feeling sick, but by that time everyone had already known how Bella was. Mom came for a little while and tried to convince her to come stay with her for a while, but she only said she needed to stay in Forks. Dad suggested that I go with mom to Jacksonville for a while, but Bella needed me. She needed me to take care of her, and I knew that she knew I understood her pain, even if she acted like she didn’t know I was there. Sometime in the middle of January, dad had convinced Bella to go out with some friends. Since that night, Bella became an adrenaline junkie and Jacob Black began enabling her. Taking care of Bella had been my purpose, the thing keeping me sane. I still hadn’t heard from Rose, I kept telling myself that she wouldn’t forget about me, but every day I found it harder to convince myself of this fact.

Dad was busy hunting bears or wolves or something that was causing a lot of damage in the surrounding area, and Bella began spending all of her time with Jacob Black. She seemed to be happier around him, and that was a good thing, but even when she was happy, she still didn’t seem to notice my presence. I felt like a ghost, and like everyone just saw right through me. By February, I could tell that dad was starting to worry about me spending so much time alone at the house, so I started to go on walks. Dad didn’t want me going on walks, of course, but I wasn’t really worried about whatever large predator was hunting in the woods. I would tell dad that I was going out with friends, and spend hours walking through the woods. Forks really was beautiful, and when it rained it was nearly impossible to hear anything but the water on the trees. After a while, I couldn’t even hear my own footsteps in the forest. I was walking in the woods somewhere near the Quileute reservation when I heard rustling around in the woods. Normally I would have just minded my own business and left, but I thought I recognized one of the boys there. Embry, I think was his name. I saw him a couple times with Jacob and Bella before he stopped hanging out with them and started preferring the company of Sam Uley. Embry was wrestling with a few other boys; except they didn’t look like boys. They seemed to be much older than I knew them to be, they looked like grown men and they all had short cropped hair and a tattoo on their arm. This must be the gang that Bella had mentioned to dad a little while ago. Oh well, whatever they’re doing it isn’t my business. I started to head back when I heard the sound of cloth ripping, and what sounded like growling. I turned around just in time to see two boys turn into very, _very_ large wolves. As soon as they were wolves, the growling stopped, and they sniffed the air. Uh oh, they smelled a human, and I was the human. I knew from my experiences with the Cullens that you cannot outrun supernatural creatures and it’s actually pretty stupid to try, so I did the only other thing I knew to do and stood perfectly still. I didn’t even flinch when one of the wolves lunged at me, only to be tackled by another wolf. I should have felt fear, or adrenaline, but I felt nothing as I watched the two wolves wrestle in the woods in what looked to be a fight to the death, but from the calm demeanor of the others present, I doubted it was that serious.

“That’s enough!” The one I recognized as Sam Uley said as he approached us. I just stared at him, there wasn’t really anything else I could do at this point. “Belladonna Swan?” He asked as he studied me. I nodded, I wasn’t sure if it were wise to speak.

“Oh man…Sam that’s Bella’s sister.” Embry said as he ran his fingers through his hair. Sam held up a hand to silence him.

“Donna, we aren’t going to hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid.” Sam soothed, suddenly looking concerned. I shook my head.

“I’m sorry to intrude, I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever it is that you’re doing. I was just going for a walk.” I didn’t think explaining myself would do much good, but I wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Does your father know you’re out here.” Sam asked.

“No.” I frowned. There was no since in telling him that I lied to my father every day telling him I was out with friends when I was really walking alone in the woods because I felt forgotten. Sam just nodded and looked like he was deep in thought.

“Embry, take her down to Emily’s please. I need to talk with Donna, but we should all go get some clothes on first. We’ll meet you down there in a few minutes.” Sam said as he walked into he woods, soon followed by the other boys and the two wolves. Embry rubbed his neck and walked down a path as I silently followed him. Before long, we ended up in a house that was in a very secluded part of the woods towards the end of the reservation. It was an adorable little house that almost looked like part of the hill it was built into, like sort of a den.

“Back already?” A beautiful girl walked out drying her hands with a towel, she looked very confused when she saw me with Embry. Half of her face was marred with long deep scars, but that didn’t make her any less beautiful. “Who’s this?”

“This is Belladonna Swan. Donna, this is Emily” Embry said as he walked inside ducking under the doorframe, he had gotten very tall.

“Ah. Well, come in, there’s plenty of food if you’re hungry.” Emily smiled and waved her arm to welcome me inside. I slowly walked inside, and instantly all I smelled was food. Emily had huge pieces of cookware filled with different types of food all around her kitchen, and already there were giant portions of all kinds of food in huge bowls and plates on the table and counters in the kitchen.

“Emily is an amazing cook, and we’re always hungry.” Embry chuckled as he grabbed a giant muffin and started eating it.

“You’re growing boys and you’re very active, you need a lot of food to keep your energy levels up.” Emily chuckled as she went over to the kitchen and started stirring something in a bowl. I noticed some scrambled eggs cooking on the stove, so I went over and started stirring them before they burnt.

“Thank you, Donna.” Emily smiled as she added some blueberries to her bowl, I assumed she was making pancakes. “So, tell me, what brings you here?”

“Sam wants to talk to me.” I replied quietly without taking my eyes off the eggs.

“She saw us in the woods. We didn’t even hear her until it was too late.” Embry explained before finishing off his first muffin and grabbing another one.

“I see.” Emily stopped stirring her bowl and studied me for a moment. I didn’t make eye contact, Emily seemed like a very kind soul. She seemed a little like me, able to see how people feel through their eyes. I didn’t want her to see the emptiness in mine. Emily sat down the bowl and walked outside as some howling was heard nearby. A few minutes later, Emily walked inside smiling. She walked over to me, held out her hand, and said a phrase I never expected to hear again.

“Take a walk with me.”


	20. Emily

Emily and I walked a decent way into the woods before either of us said anything. It was nice to be with someone else during a walk again, it painfully reminded me of when Rosalie and I would go for walks. I didn’t understand why she would leave me alone after she promised to keep in contact; I tried to tell myself that she was just busy or for some reason she was being prevented from contacting me. But Rosalie is extremely stubborn, she wouldn’t let just anything prevent her from doing what she wanted. A little voice in my head told me that she had moved on and forgotten about me and I was being a child for hoping I’d get a letter, text, package, anything at all. For a while I was able to distract myself with taking care of Bella, even if she was never with me mentally. But now with Jacob in the picture, she isn’t with me physically either. I couldn’t regret the decision to come to Forks, but if I knew it would mean that I would lose my sister, I’m not sure I would have made the same choice.

“It’s a lonely thing to be a secret keeper.” Emily said, pulling me out of my reverie.

“What?” I said as I looked at her, unsure of what she meant.

“I can see you, Donna. Your eyes have no life in them, you seem to be in pain.” She said softly. I frowned as I looked at the ground, focusing on where I was walking. Everyone else thought I was doing just fine, that I was doing well, and Bella was the one in pain.

“I’m doing fine.” I lied as I kicked a rock down a path.

“When our lives are filled with secrets, it isolates us from others. When no one sees you for who you are, eventually it just feels like you’re pretending with everyone else. Bella can tell most of her pain, she lost her love. The only part she is keeping is that he is a vampire, but that isn’t what causes her pain. The part that causes her pain, she can share; you do not have that luxury.” She said casually. I thought for a moment, wondering how she knew that the Cullen’s being vampires wasn’t the only secret I knew.

“Then what secret do you think is causing me pain?” I asked, looking at her. She looked back at me with a sad smile, her brown eyes shining.

“The reason they left. It’s a secret you can’t even tell your sister.” Emily started climbing a rather steep slope that you had to grab onto the rocks in order to climb. “Your sister is hurting, she thinks they left because she was inadequate in some way, but that is not the reason. The actual reason may or may not ease her pain, but you cannot tell her.” I stayed silent for a few minutes as we climbed up the hill, I wasn’t sure how to answer. If I told her she was right, would that be betraying Rosalie’s trust? Just thinking her name reminded me painfully that Rose wasn’t here anymore.

“How do you know?” I asked as we neared the top. “How do you know the reason he gave her for leaving, and that it isn’t the actual reason?” Emily smiled as she reached the top and helped me up. The top was beautiful, and the ground was covered in smooth, cool rocks. From the top, I could see that we came up on one side of a small cliff face, and down the center was a small stream that led to a small waterfall by the edge.

“Because I know that look you have, I used to see it every day in the mirror.” Emily said as she led me over to some larger stones near the edge of the falls. “Sam did not always love me, Donna. He was madly in love with my cousin, Leah. All our lives, we were like sisters; they were to be married, and I came to visit to help plan the wedding with her, and Sam left her for me.”

“I don’t understand.” I frowned as we sat on the rocks. “How is that the same?”

“Sam was the first to phase into a wolf. The fever sets in when vampires are near, that is the purpose of the pack; to protect us from the cold ones. When a wolf finds their soulmate, it’s like the world shifts. He genuinely loved Leah, but when he saw me for the first time after he phased, he had no choice. His soul had chosen for him.” Emily frowned as she was retelling the story, like it still caused her pain to this day. “Sam could not tell anyone the reason why, as I’m sure you already know, what they are must remain a secret. He could only tell Leah that he was sorry, but he loved me now.”

“How did you find out what he was?” I asked as I leaned closer, I still didn’t entirely see how our stories were connected.

“I was furious with him.” She chuckled to herself although her eyes were brimming with tears. “I went to convince him that what he was doing was wrong, and he must go and make up with Leah. But a wolf’s phasing, it is linked to their emotion.” Emily frowned. “Sam tried to explain, but I was yelling at him. I was just so angry; I couldn’t understand how he could do this to her. All of my accusing, he became upset and he lost control, just for a moment. He phased and clawed my face.” Emily paused as she lightly traced the scars across the one side of her face. “He returned to normal and was absolutely horrified at what he had done. Causing both of the women he cared for such pain, Sam wanted to end his own life. He cared for me every day, and I could see the pain in his eyes. His love, and devotion, and how he hated not being able to fix the things that he had no control over. I soon realized that I loved him too.” She smiled a small, sad smile despite a tear falling down her face. “While I was injured, he explained everything to me. Nothing must be kept from your soulmate once you find them, so he could finally share with me everything that had happened. But I could not tell Leah. Leah believes that I was attacked by a bear, and I stole her true love away from her. My sister cannot even look at me, and her heart has been consumed by anger and bitterness. And yet I cannot tell her why, I cannot tell her that if Sam could have chosen for himself, he would have stayed with her. That I wish my happiness were hers, but fate had different plans for their lives. I can’t say if knowing the reason why would ease her pain, but at least she would know that it was nothing she did that caused her love to leave.” Emily finished her story as she wiped her falling tears away with her hand.

I took her hand in mine, not really sure what I could do to comfort her. I could see now, how our pain was similar. Hers may even be worse; Leah was basically her sister and she thinks she stole the love of her life. I was suddenly very grateful that I didn’t attract vampires the way that Bella did, I don’t think I could live with myself if I did that to her.

“Does it help at all that you have the pack to share your secrets? Even if you can’t tell the person directly involved?” This was a question I had for weeks, if it was solely the fact that I couldn’t share everything with Bella or that I couldn’t share everything with anyone at all.

“It does.” Emily smiled as she squeezed by hand lightly. “Even if it is not Leah, I am not alone. With no secrets, you can be yourself around people you love. And that is a very liberating thing. It frees the soul.” Emily watched me carefully as I thought about this for a moment. “If you would like, Donna, your soul can be free too.”

“But there’s so much that feels like I would be violating their trust if I told.” I didn’t want their trust, even if I never saw any of them again. They had trusted me with their entire existence, I couldn’t betray that confidence just so that I would feel better.

“Liberation does not come by baring your soul, but by not keeping it in a cage.” She smiled. “You do not have to tell us anything at all, but if you want to, you can. And you can be secure that your secrets are safe. Come,” Emily got up from where she sat on the rock and held her hand out to me. “let’s go back. Being around so many boys with carefree spirits it is impossible to be sad.” I took her hand and followed her back down the path towards her house. I knew that I would keep their secrets, too. And while I doubted that I would ever tell them anything revealing about the Cullens, I already felt a little better knowing that the option was there.


	21. A Drastic Change

During the next few weeks, I began hanging out with Emily more and more. The wolf pack really was a family unit. Emily would take me to go see other female members of the tribe sometimes at gatherings hosted at Mother Aponi’s house. Mother Aponi was a very old and kind woman, who considered most of the women of the tribe her daughters. At the gatherings, there would always be food and tea, and then we would all get together and sit in a circle and bead jewelry or make beautiful designs on fabric. During these times, it was very peaceful. So close to nature, enjoying the simple things in life and the company of regular people. It was like its own little world too, in a way, this kind of peace and serenity just didn’t exist in today’s world. As I spent more time with the tribe, I became happier. I still missed Rose and the others a lot, but I felt more alive. Even though I never did tell them about the Cullens, it was very freeing to not have to hide and to know that I could tell them about it if I wanted to. I learned lots of things about the pack and phasing, and at night they would tell me stories of old Quileute legends. Emily knew the way that Bella had reacted when she learned that I knew about the Cullens before she did, so when Jacob showed signs that he may be phasing soon I started spending more time with the women of the tribe and less time with the pack members themselves. Although Sam would give an order not to tell Bella their secret, he knew that Jacob would find a way to relay the message. He would make sure none of them mentioned me knowing though, that one he would make sure no one could get around.

I spent many days in Mother Aponi’s house, and Emily would come along too when she wasn’t with Sam. One day, she came in with the last person I thought she would be seen with, Leah. Apparently, Leah had also phased, but there had never been a female wolf in all of the history of the tribe. At first, I was unsure as to why Emily brought her to be with me rather than spending time with the pack, but then I remembered that when the pack phased into wolves, they could all hear each other’s thoughts. My guess was that seeing Sam and Emily together all the time was too much for her to handle and would make her lose control. Sitting next to Leah, I knew that she felt as forgotten and unwanted as I had before I started coming to the reservation. After a few minutes, I gathered some beads and started weaving. Leah and I didn’t speak to each other that entire day, we just sat in the living room of Mother Aponi’s house and made little beautiful creations. It seemed to calm her, and although neither of us spoke, I knew that she was also enjoying the peace that we shared.

“She almost died today; you know.” Leah said one day as we were weaving with beads. When she wasn’t needed in the pack, Leah would still come and weave with me or take walks into the woods.

“How?” I didn’t need to ask who it was; I already knew it was Bella. Jacob hadn’t told her yet, and she was wandering out on her own trying to find ways to see Edward through her mind’s eye.

“A leech.” Leah stated simply.

“One was around here?” I had grown accustomed to the terms they used to refer to vampires, the pack hated them as a whole.

“Two. We killed one. A friend of the red headed one whose mate was killed.” Leah never took her eyes off her work. I had explained how Bella had gotten her crescent scar some time ago, since they needed to know if any vampires would come around here that fed from humans.

“Does she know?” I asked calmly; Leah snorted.

“No. She actually thinks that wolves grow that big. But it’ll be soon, Jake is getting restless.” Leah set aside her beads and got up. “I need to get back home before I’m late. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

While the elders of the tribe knew about the pack, Leah’s father, Harry Clearwater, didn’t know about his daughter. They were all worried that Harry’s heart wouldn’t be able to take it since his health wasn’t the greatest. Only a few days had passed before Bella found out about the pack and Victorias imminent presence, I never told her that I knew. The next week, I was on my way to Emily’s to help her cook while the pack was out hunting Victoria. When I got there, Emily was at the table sobbing. Through her sobs, she explained that Harry Clearwater was fighting with Leah over cutting her hair and always leaving at odd hours because he was worried that she was going through a rebellious phase and getting herself into trouble. Leah lost control and phased in front of him because she was so upset, and the shock of it gave Harry a heart attack and he had died. I knew she had to go to the Clearwater’s house to pay her respects, and that was a very private matter, so I decided to walk home. It was already getting dark by the time I had made it off of the reservation, I nearly jumped when my phone started ringing.

“Hello?” I didn’t recognize the number.

“Donna?” Rose’s frantic voice responded.

“Rosalie??” I was in shock; I couldn’t believe that she had finally called.

“Donna I’ve done something awful, please tell me you’re home.” Rose was speaking so quickly it took me a moment to process what she said.

“I’m walking home, Rose what’s wrong?”

“Donna I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry. I didn’t know he would do this, I was angry, that’s no excuse but I didn’t think he would react this way!” She was sounding almost frantic at this point.

“Rose, slow down, tell me what happened.”

“Edward has been stopping my messages. I didn’t know until recently that that’s why you never responded, I sent you different phones so that I could call you and he wouldn’t know but he found out and redirected them to somewhere in France and I never knew that was why you never responded to me. And when I found out I was just so angry with him, and he kept on saying it was to keep your sister safe and…” Rose stopped and took a deep breath. “Alice saw Bella jump off a cliff and didn’t see her come up. She rushed back to Forks to help you and Charlie and while she was gone, Edward had called. Esme was very upset, and he asked what was wrong and I told him that Bella had killed herself.”

“You what?!” I froze where I stood, unable to believe what I had just heard.

“I know, I was just so angry I wasn’t thinking. But he called your house, and a man answered the phone and told him that Charlie was planning a funeral and Donna Edward is going to Italy to plead with the Volturi to kill him.” There was a horrible, heartbreaking noise on the other line, and I knew that vampiric sob anywhere. If she could, Rosalie would be crying. I picked up my pace basically running back towards home.

“Can’t we just call him? Set things straight?” I asked as I turned on the road towards my house.

“He broke his phone, only seeing Bella alive will change his mind. Alice has asked her to go to Italy with her to try and save him but…”

“But that means that the Volturi might kill them all.” I finished.

“Donna I am so sorry. If there were any way to fix this…” I had never known Rose to be this upset, and I knew that had she been thinking clearly she never would have told Edward what Alice saw, at least not like that.

“I know Rose. I need to go, I’ll call you back soon.” I hung up as my house came into view. I already knew that Bella would go to Italy with Alice, no matter what the end result might be. No matter how she’s been this last year, I couldn’t just let her go by herself. I got there just as Alice was putting the car into drive and I jumped in the back seat. Bella looked at me in surprise, but didn’t say anything, and Alice glanced at me once in the mirror before she floored the gas pedal leaving a very distraught Jacob Black behind us. And just like that, we were off to Italy.


	22. Italy

_***Felix POV***_

When we returned to Italy, Aro was indeed very interested in our discoveries.

“How very interesting…” Aro said as he pondered over what he just discovered once he was finished sifting through our memories. “I send you out to evaluate the conspicuous nomads, and you find me two particularly gifted humans.”

“And a coven who has broken the rules.” Caius reminded him.

“Peace, brother.” Aro said as he lifted his hand towards Caius. “We do not know the plans Carlisle’s children have for these humans. Let us not jump to our own conclusions.”

“Your favoritism for Carlisle surely would not allow you to turn a blind eye towards the law, Aro.” Caius challenged.

“Of course not, Caius, but rushing into violence would be most unjust. Besides, such a waste of potential gifts is simply criminal.” Aro smiled as he pictured the possibilities. “We shall wait and see what becomes of our dear friends and their new pets before we pass judgement. I believe that the outcome will be much more beneficial that you envision.”

Time passed and the humans were no longer mentioned, until the day that Edward Cullen arrived in Italy to seek an audience with the Volturi.

“An interesting request indeed, my young friend.” Aro said once he was finished sifting through Edwards thoughts. “My deepest condolences for the loss of your mate.” Edward simply nodded.

“I know the Volturi is not without mercy. Please, end my suffering. I simply can’t be in a world where she doesn’t exist.” Edward pleaded. He looked like he hadn’t fed in months, his eyes were black, and he looked very weak. Pathetic. He was the cause of his own misery, had he simply changed her then he wouldn’t be in this mess.

“This request of yours is not taken lightly, Edward. We must council over this matter, we shall summon you back when we’ve reached our decision.” Aro smiled as he released Edward’s hand. “Please, go satiate your thirst as we discuss things.” Edward didn’t say a word, he simply turned and left.

“He revealed our secret to a human that he did not change, that alone is reason to grant his request.” Caius stated, he was always eager for an execution.

“And yet, it appears that that problem has been solved for us. However, the vision that our beloved Alice saw leaves room for the imagination.” Aro pondered as he walked around the room.

“Are you saying that the girl may be alive?” Caius asked incredulously.

“I cannot say whether Isabella Swan is alive or dead, but I am certain that his family would not allow him to leave this existence quietly.” Aro said thoughtfully.

“What are you plotting, Aro?” Marcus finally spoke. Although Marcus spoke the least out of the trio, he absorbed the most information.

“Observant as always, dear brother.” Aro smiled. “Whether Isabella is dead or alive, at least one member of Edward’s family will come to stop him. We have a chance to gain new members to our family. And if our dear Isabella lives, then she will undoubtedly come as well giving us a wonderful opportunity.”

“And if none of them stay?” Caius challenged. “Their bonds run deeper than a typical coven, Aro. Even the human may be immune to Chelsea’s abilities.”

“That is a possibility, of course. But even if they don’t choose to stay, I have another plan in mind that may allow us an even greater benefit.” Aro said as he smiled to himself.

“And what, pray tell, is this ingenious plan of yours?” Caius demanded, sounding rather irritated for having to ask.

“All in good time, brother, all in good time. Felix.” I walked up and bowed my head.

“Yes, master.”

“Come with me, I have a very special assignment for you.” Aro said softly as we walked out of the room leaving the other ancients alone behind us.

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_***Donna POV***_

We couldn’t get on a plane until the next day, and Bella was hysterical the entire time. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a horrible feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong. Alice kept watching for any decisions made by Aro and Edward and kept us updated when anything changed. It wasn’t until we were off the plane and speeding towards Volterra in a stolen Porsche that Alice had an important update: the Volturi had decided to deny Edward his request, so he was going to force their hand by showing himself to the humans during a festival. Alice and Bella only ever talked to each other, I sometimes wondered if they forgot I was here. Alice got as far into the city as she could, and then Bella got out to run the rest of the way to stop Edward.

“Donna, stay with the car, alright?” Alice said, addressing me for the first time as she got out of the car. “If we take too long, find a place to hide until morning and then call Jasper.” And suddenly she was gone. Alice was insane if she thought I was going to wait in the car, completely and notably insane. First of all, she had parked in the middle of a crowd and I could already see police approaching. Secondly, this was a bright yellow car in a sea of red cloaks, if anyone wanted to kill me, I might as well be holding a flashing neon sign. And thirdly, neither of them had ever made a plan of what they would do _after_ they stopped Edward from exposing himself, they had no escape plan.

I got out of the car and made my way into the crowd. I was still being followed by some men in jackets who had finally made their way to the Porsche, so I stole a red robe from a stand and slipped it over my shoulders putting the hood up so I blended in with the crowd. In less than a minute, I had lost them and was able to make my way towards the clock tower. I saw Bella stop Edward from going into the sun and Alice slipping into an alleyway not far from the tower, so wherever the Volturi were had to be close by. I went around the crowd to behind the clocktower and saw a number of dark openings around the building, it looked like something a vampire could fit through. I bent down and looked into the opening; I could just barely make out the bottom. It was a very dark arched tunnel, with several openings letting in some light from the outside. I walked down the alleyway and saw some parade floats not too far away, so I snuck over and grabbed some rope from one of the bags of the workers. I made it back to where I was and tied one end of the rope to a lamppost in the alleyway and shoved the rest of the rope down the opening. Now, if something went wrong, all they had to do was make it to the tunnel and they could escape. I was going to place more rope in various entrances, but I suddenly got a horrible feeling that I was being watched. I looked up to see a huge, dark figure in the shadows towards the end of the alley; it looked every bit as huge as the figure I saw outside the kitchen window that night. I knew running would be stupid, I wouldn’t even be able to make it to the end of the alley without getting caught. So, I stayed very still and simply stared at the figure, and they stared right back at me. I saw the same bright red eyes that stared back at me from the kitchen window, and he wore that same smirk. He was much taller up close than he was from across the yard from my window, I knew it was a man now that he was closer. There was a deep chuckle that made me jump, but then he was gone; I looked around, but still didn’t see where he went. I stood very still for a moment, but nothing happened, so I slowly started backing towards the end of the alley looking around for the dark figure to return but he never did. I was almost to the end of the alley when I hit a very cold and very solid wall, and a very large and cold hand covered my mouth. I instantly went still, frozen with fear when the man behind me chuckled as though this were funny.

“Welcome to Volterra, _cara mia_.”


	23. Trespassing

I stayed very still, not daring to move. One hand was over my mouth, and one arm was around my waist pinning my arms to my sides and holding me against him. This guy was massive, and easily towered over me by at least a foot and a half, even if he were just a regular human, he would be terrifying. But this was not a regular human, this was an immortal member of the undead and based on the color of his eyes he very frequently dined on human blood. While this guy already looked like he could eat me, the knowledge of his diet brought the saying to a whole new light.

“You’re very far from home, _piccolina_. Who would be so careless as to leave you all alone, in this city of all places?” I knew he didn’t really expect an answer, not that I could have given one anyway. Even if he weren’t holding me, I don’t think I would have been able to move, and I know I wouldn’t have been able to speak even if he weren’t covering my mouth. Suddenly my feet weren’t touching the ground and I had the sensation of falling, I slipped my hands free and covered my eyes even though the surrounding scenery had already gone black. The man holding me chuckled, apparently, he liked to play with his food before eating.

“I wouldn’t drop you, _cara mia._ There are much more interesting ways to die in Volterra than falling down a hole.” I hadn’t even realized until then that he was carrying me, his cloak prevented me from feeling the coldness of his body. When I uncovered my eyes, I was in some kind of study and the man was setting me down. I really hadn’t expected to live this long, so I wasn’t quite sure what to do. So, I did the first stupid thing that popped into my head.

“Hello, I’m Belladonna Swan.” I cleared my throat slightly so I could hopefully find more of my voice, that just sounded pathetic. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Well, Felix, you were right.” Another male vampire casually walked over to us like he had been there all along. “They brought her along after all. Go on, don’t be rude. She just introduced herself.” This vampire was a lot smaller than the other one, but he was still much taller than me. The larger vampire chuckled.

“Felix and Demetri, of the Volturi guard.” Felix said motioning between he and his friend. “Do you know why you are here, _piccolina?_ ”

“Because I was trespassing, and it’s very rude to trespass.” I know that lying wasn’t in my best interest, especially since I was certain that it was Felix outside my house that night. Even if they hadn’t been watching us, Edward allowed Aro to read his thoughts, meaning that they knew that I was a human who knew their secret.

“Ah, yes, trespassing.” Demetri said as he paced around me with his hands behind his back. “A very serious crime, here in Italy.”

“A family trait, I would say.” Felix added with a smirk. “Considering your sister committed the same offense.”

“You trespassed last March.” I’m not sure where that came from, or where I was going with this. But I also wasn’t sure why they didn’t just drain me already. “At my house, I saw you there.”

“Did you now, _principessa?_ ” Felix raised an eyebrow. “So, just what are we going to do about that?”

“Call it even?” I said with a hopeful smile. Both vampires laughed, at least I was entertaining them.

“Aro will love this one.” Demetri commented.

“Yes, he will. How is their meeting going?” Felix looked at Demetri, and I once again felt invisible. I looked towards the window, but I highly doubt that I could get there without them noticing. Not to mention I wouldn’t survive the jump if I did.

“Almost finished, then they will be ready for our little criminal here.” I quickly looked back at the vampires, ready for what?

“Then we should finish quickly.” Felix said before he was suddenly behind me, holding me against himself with my arms at my sides. I froze and closed my eyes tightly, waiting to feel teeth in my neck or wrists, but it never came. All that I felt was a pinch in my left arm, I opened my eyes and saw Demetri with a needle in my arm filling a large syringe with my blood. Once it was full, a band-aide was quickly placed on my arm and Demetri had disappeared.

“I don’t understand.” I blinked staring at my arm. Felix chuckled behind me.

“Aro has some questions for you, _piccolina._ You don’t need to be afraid; we aren’t going to eat you. Yet.” I had a feeling that something was going on and I was the only one out of the loop. Why would vampires need my blood, aside from obvious reasons in which case they would just use their teeth? Felix suddenly looked up. As if someone called for him, and suddenly I was in his arms once again and we were flying through very dark hallways. I know it was an odd thing to think about, but I was very glad in that moment that I have never suffered from motion sickness. Suddenly we came to a stop in front of a set of large double doors that opened for us. Felix set me down and gently nudged me forward, not something I would have expected from such a menacing giant. As I walked into the large room, I saw three pale figures in black cloaks that I recognized as the Volturi from Carlisle’s paintings.

“Ah, Belladonna. How wonderful to finally meet you at last.” Aro came walking up to meet us and I stopped when Felix stopped walking behind me. I wasn’t really sure what you were supposed to do when you met vampire royalty, or if there was a proper way of greeting them. Instead of doing anything smart or remotely helpful, I just stood there and stared at him silently.

“I have heard so much about you I feel as though I know you already.” Aro continued on, smiling widely like he had never been more pleased. “How are you enjoying Italy? I see you’ve acquired a cloak from the festival today, it celebrates our own Marcus chasing out all the vampires from Volterra.” Behind him, Caius chuckled while Marcus remained silent and stoic, simply watching.

“It’s very beautiful here, thank you for your hospitality.” I couldn’t think of a better way to say, ‘thank you for abducting yet not eating me’, but at least my voice remained steady. “Where is my sister?”

“Ah, yes. Isabella has caused quite the commotion, hasn’t she?” Aro chuckled as if sharing an inside joke with an old friend. “She is in another room with Edward and Alice, awaiting nightfall so that they may leave the city undetected.” I frowned. Surely they would be missing me, wouldn’t they? But then I remembered, Alice still thinks I’m with the car, they have no idea I’m here. Lovely.

“Of course,” I nodded as though I understood completely. “Would you mind if I joined my sister?”

“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, my dear, you’ve only just got here. Besides, we have so much to discuss.” Aro glided closer. “I’ve heard that you possess a certain immunity to mental gifts, much like your sister, though not exactly the same. I would like to see this for myself, may I?” Aro smiled pleasantly and held out his hand. I know I didn’t have much of a choice, but asking permission at least seemed polite. I looked back at Felix and then back at Aro before I placed my hand in his. Aro clasped my hand in both of his and smiled at first, but then he looked extremely perplexed before his eyes widened in wonder.

“ _Strabiliante..._ ” He breathed. “Amazing.” Aro held on to my hand for a few moments more before releasing me. “At first I thought I could hear her thoughts, until I realized that I was simply hearing my own echoing back at me. I could see the same thing happen when I saw into Edwards memories of their encounters.” Aro studied me for a moment before turning his head towards other hooded figures who stood off to the side. “Jane, darling. You first, then Alec should have a turn.”

I felt Felix cease all movement behind me, I looked up at him and saw that he was frowning. Whatever Jane and Alec were about to do, I don’t think it was anything good. One of the smaller hooded figures pulled back her hood, revealing a very beautiful cherubic face. In her eyes, I could see that she was far from angelic. Jane smiled pleasantly at me.

“This might sting a little.” She said as she stared at me. I stared right back, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly there was a loud shriek, a scream of surprise and pain as Jane fell to the floor. Aro laughed in delight and everyone else in the room, including Felix, simply stared at Jane in shock. Jane looked up at me with wide infuriated eyes and went to lunge at me, but Felix caught her by the throat before I even saw that he had moved.

“Peace, Jane. It is not young Belladonna’s fault that she vexes us so.” Aro soothed, still obviously greatly amused. “Felix, release her. Alec, it’s your turn.” I looked over at the other small hooded figure that had been standing next to Jane. He looked infuriated, and determined to avenge his sister. Felix released Jane who stood frozen in place out of mere shock, as I stared at Alec waiting for something to happen. Several seconds passed, and nothing seemed to be happening, until suddenly Alec gasped and stumbled back looking around the room in confusion. Jane ran to Alec’s side and grabbed her brother’s arm; he blinked a few times before staring at me with a look that was both furious and confused. Aro laughed again and clapped in delight.

“Wonderful, our little _stellina_.” Aro walked over and gently took my face in his hands studying me. “Such a wonder, the magnificent possibilities. Felix, you have chosen well.” Aro smiled in approval and released my face patting my head twice like you would a small child. “We shall meet again very soon, Belladonna Swan.” Aro smiled fondly at me and then looked at Felix and nodded. Felix suddenly had one arm around me and another hand around my throat. I froze and grabbed his arm, unsure of what was happening; I could still breathe, but not very well, and I was beginning to feel light headed very quickly. If they were going to kill me, there were dozens of other ways to do it. I looked up at Felix with huge eyes filled with a million questions as he shushed me.

“Shh, hush, _piccolina._ It’s alright, sleep _cara mia._ ” Why would he try to soothe me if he was killing me? I wonder how they would explain my absence to dad, or if I would simply always be missing in some other country. I hope that Bella will be alright without me, I don’t want to ruin her time with Edward since she just got him back. My body relaxed and I could no longer form any coherent thoughts, I could still hear Felix shushing me in another language from somewhere far away before I slipped into the blackness.


	24. Scars

“Donna?” I heard a voice calling me, but it couldn’t be real. It was so nice and comfortable in the blackness; I didn’t want to leave. “Donna?” I woke up to the feeling of being shaken. I was inside of the yellow Porsche, which was parked right where Alice left it. Which was odd, since I distinctly remember seeing the police take the car away while I was in the alley.

“Donna, are you ok?” Alice asked, she had been the one to wake me up. I was laying down in the back seat with the red cloak folded up under my head as a pillow, and a jacket I don’t remember owning covering me up as a blanket.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I sat up, sliding on the jacket; it had gotten kind of cold. Outside was pitch black, it must be close to midnight.

“Do you want to ride with me in the front?” Alice asked. I looked over at Edward, who was holding Bella outside. I got the hint that they wanted to sit together, and I was taking up the back seat.

“Oh, yeah that would be great.” I got out of the back and grabbed the cloak I was using as a pillow. As I was walking around the car, I placed my hands in my pocket and felt a piece of paper folded there. Since I was going to be sitting next to Alice, I assumed that now would be a bad time to read it; I didn’t want to interrupt Edward and Bella’s reunion. As I climbed in the passenger’s seat, I felt a pain in my stomach and I got very, very cold. I covered up with the cloak to try to warm up as we drove back towards the airport. Alice explained quietly everything that happened to them when they met the Volturi, but I couldn’t focus very well because my stomach pain was getting worse. Alice had been able to get us a plane that night, so I took the opportunity to go into the bathroom to read the note in my pocket. It looked like expensive paper that would be used in a scroll or very old books, with very neat calligraphy writing.

 _“Don’t take it off, cara mia.”_ Was all that it said. I stared at the note for a moment, wondering what exactly it was that I wasn’t supposed to take off. I felt around in the pockets of my new jacket to see if maybe there was another note, but they were all empty; that’s when I felt something fall against my chest. I reached under my shirt and found that I was wearing a necklace. The necklace looked extremely old; I had never seen anything like it. It was a simple aged braided chain with a belladonna flower ornament, and two little snakes that formed “S” claps. One snake had green eyes, while the other had red, and inside the flower were two little purple gems representing blooms on the flower. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was made of, but it was beautiful; I suppose this is what the note was referring to. I decided to take advantage of the mirror in the bathroom and see if I had a bruise on my stomach that was causing my pain. As I lifted up my shirt, I froze in shock. On my lower stomach I had three shiny little scars, one by each hip bone and one right in between the other two. I felt the scars, and they were cold to the touch just like Bella’s was when she was first bitten by James. But these weren’t bite marks, they were just tiny little circular scars. I had no idea how I got them, but I had a sinking feeling that this happened while I was unconscious. I would need to see Carlisle when we got back; there was no need to bother Alice or Edward with it right now, they were so relieved to make it out of Volterra that I didn’t want to introduce another potential problem so quickly. I quickly pulled my shirt down, put the note back in my pocket, and placed the necklace back under my shirt before returning to my seat.

When we got back to Forks, it was over a week before I was able to talk to Carlisle. Bella had insisted she wanted to be a vampire, and she had her mortality put to a vote. It was decided that she would become a vampire, but after graduation so she could disappear with no suspicions. Between Bella’s mortality, dad being furious and trying to separate Bella and Edward, and the rest of the Cullen’s hunting Victoria, I thought it would be best to let things calm down before I asked Carlisle about my scars. The day after they had determined that Victoria was nowhere to be found, I went to the Cullen’s and waited outside the door to Carlisle’s study.

“Come in.” He answered my unspoken request; I had learned a while ago that knocking on doors in a house of vampires was superfluous. “Donna,” Carlisle smiled pleasantly as I walked into his study. “how wonderful to see you. What can I do for you?”

“Carlisle, I was wondering if I could ask you something privately.” I had specifically chosen a time when the rest were either out hunting or visiting Bella.

“Of course, Donna. Is something wrong?” He asked, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.

“It’s probably fine, I just thought you would be the best person to know what they are. I have some injuries, and I’m not sure how I got them.” I explained, though I could tell that I wasn’t doing anything to alleviate his concern.

“Injuries?” Carlisle asked, setting down the book he was holding and walking around his desk. “What kind of injuries?”

“Well, they aren’t really injuries, they’re already healed. Sort of. I don’t know, they’re scars, and I got them in Italy. But they hurt like they were fresh even though it had already scarred over.” My explanation wasn’t really helping anything, I could tell.

“Where are these injuries? May I see them?” Carlisle walked over to me still looking very concerned. I lifted up my shirt and pulled my jeans down slightly to show the shimmering little scars that I usually covered with my pant line.

“They’re small, but they feel really deep and they’re still sore.” I said as I looked down at my scars. Carlisle frowned and knelt down as he studied my scars. He felt them and pressed on them lightly until I winced.

“You said you don’t remember getting these?” Carlisle asked while he gently pressed the area around them.

“No, I fell asleep and when I woke up, they were there.” It wasn’t totally a lie; I wasn’t really sure how much I should tell him about what happened. Carlisle and his family have already dealt with so many problems because Bella and I know what they are, I didn’t want to unnecessarily add to that. Carlisle stood up and gently moved my hair, revealing deep bruises around my neck by my ears where Felix had grabbed me.

“You fell asleep?” Carlisle asked gently. “And did you have any assistance falling asleep?” I looked down in shame.

“Maybe a little.”

“Donna, I need for you to tell me what happened, please.” Carlisle listened patiently while I explained what had happened, including Felix and Demetri taking my blood, and waking up in the Porsche with a new jacket, the note, and the necklace. I lifted it from underneath my shirt, but I wouldn’t let him take it off. I know it was silly, but I didn’t want something bad to happen if I disobeyed the note.

“Donna, do you know what this is?” Carlisle asked while studying the necklace.

“No, what is it?” I was genuinely curious. It was very pretty, but I wasn’t sure what it was made out of.

“This is very, very old. I would say this is over one thousand years old, based on the aging of the gold.” Carlisle said calmly.

“Gold??” Surely it wasn’t actual gold, right?

“Yes. This necklace is made from pure gold, and those little gems you see are emeralds, rubies, and purple amethyst.” Carlisle said as he released my necklace.

“But… why would any of them give me something so priceless?” I asked in awe. There had to be some mistake, maybe I should send it back. Carlisle shook his head.

“I think I know what happened here. Aro has always been fascinated with the experiments humans do on each other, and the gifts that humans can exhibit during their mortal lives that carry on into their second one, should they be turned.” He explained calmly as I pulled down my shirt. “The Volturi have so many priceless valuables it would be nothing to gift just one necklace. They probably took your DNA to conduct an experiment of some kind and gave you the necklace as a thank you gift for your participation. Aro had never done such things while I was there, but I’m sure by now he has. Your scars were made from vampire venom, but you haven’t been turned. They must have extracted it in some way, but either way the effects seem to be harmless. It was good of you to tell me, though you shouldn’t have waited so long.”

“I was just didn’t want to impose when so many other things needed attention.” I explained, although now it seemed like a rather poor excuse.

“It’s alright to need attention sometimes too, Donna.” Carlisle smiled and gently stroked my hair once in a calming, paternal fashion. “But thankfully, you’ll be just fine.”

“Thanks Carlisle.” I smiled, relieved it was nothing. “I’d better get home; I usually have supper started by now.”

“Be safe.” Carlisle said as I left.

It was a little creepy knowing that I was part of an experiment, but I was very relieved to know that’s all it was. If that’s all they needed from me, it was a small price to pay considering I could have died. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about the Volturi anymore, or so I hoped.


	25. Port Angeles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all of your support! I truly appreciate it and thank you so much for reading this far =)  
> The next two chapters will hold several dark elements. I will of course provide trigger warnings at the beginning of said chapters, but if you are sensitive to dark elements then I encourage you to please skip the next two chapters. You will not need to read chapters 26 or 27 in order to keep up with the story. This chapter does not contain dark elements but I wanted to give fair warning so that you could prepare.

Weeks passed, and things seemed to settle down. I split my time between going to see Rosalie and going to the reservation; since both sides were patrolling for Victoria it was easy to split time and be with each one when they were taking a break. Rosalie was not at all happy that I spent time with werewolves, and Leah wasn’t happy that I spent time with vampires. But neither of them really said anything about it; Emily told Sam not to mention it whatsoever and she seemed to be the only one unphased by who I chose to spend my time with. Bella and Edward had become inseparable once again, and the main thing they disagreed on was that Bella wanted to be a vampire and Edward wanted her to marry him. Bella was being accepted into many universities across the country, which would be a good way for her to “disappear”, as she put it. My scars quit hurting after a few weeks and things seemed to be going well, until people began to go missing in Seattle. Even though Forks wasn’t that close to Seattle, several people had suddenly begun to go missing and even more would end up dead, their bodies practically unrecognizable. Rosalie told me that it was likely a vampire creating a bunch of newborns that they either couldn’t or wouldn’t control, and that the Volturi would intervene soon. That thought worried me, but Rosalie assured me that there was no reason for the Volturi to come near Forks.

Edward had convinced dad to let him take Bella to Florida for the weekend to visit mom before graduation, Charlie was going fishing with Billy Black and Ashley had called me inviting me to go to Port Angeles with her and some friends, apparently there was some sort of sale going on. Rose was very adamant that I should go, so I knew something was up.

“Why is everyone leaving this weekend?” I asked Rose right after she insisted I go with Ashely.

“Because, Alice saw a vision of Victoria. She’s going to be in Forks, and we need to take the opportunity to catch her without having to worry if you and your family are safe.” Rose explained. I already knew that Bella didn’t know, she never took bad news as well as I did.

“Why can’t I just stay on the reservation? It would be safe there.” I said and Rosalie scowled.

“Being with a bunch of mutts while we’re preoccupied and not available if something should happen is not my definition of safe.” Rose said sourly.

“But what about all the newborns in Seattle? What if they make their way to Port Angeles?” I knew this was a losing argument, but it didn’t hurt to try.

“Port Angeles is a safe distance away from Seattle, and a safe distance away from Forks. There are no signs of the newborns branching out of Seattle, and there’s no need for them to with such a large hunting ground. Port Angeles is the safest place for you to be.” Rose summarized, smiling to herself because we both knew she had won. I sighed in defeat.

“Alright, I’ll go.” It would be nice to spend some time with Ashley anyway, I rarely did anymore outside of school.

So, on Friday after school Edward took Bella to the airport, Charlie was going to Billy’s after he got off work, and I was in a van with Ashley and her friends for a weekend trip to Port Angeles. I didn’t really contribute much to conversation, there wasn’t much for me to say. They were talking about school and boys and how school would be over in a few weeks, and I just couldn’t connect to it. It was like they were living life in a different reality than my own and we were just too different. Even in my peaceful times in the living room of Mother Aponi’s house, there were shape shifting warriors and talk of magic and legends. When we got to Port Angeles, everyone was tying into their phones the GPS location of this store supposedly having a sale, and yet all of the GPS apps took us to different locations. We had been walking for over an hour when my phone started ringing, Bella said that she’d call once their plane landed.

“Hey Ashley, I’ll catch up in just a sec. My sister’s calling.” I said as I slowed my pace.

“Sure, no problem. We won’t go far.” Ashley smiled at me then turned back to her friends trying to figure out the GPS.

I had just looked down to open my phone when I was knocked off my feet and the world started to blur around me from moving so fast. I suddenly came to a stop with my back against a building and a large, cold hand over my mouth. I looked up to see Felix smirking at me as he held me against a building in a part of town I didn’t recognize. He brought one finger to his lips and then motioned with his eyes from me to the still ringing phone; I understood what he meant and nodded my head as best I could. Felix slowly took his hand off my mouth and hit the answer button. I swallowed hard and looked at him and then my phone.

“Bella?”

“Donna? We just landed, mom met us at the airport and wanted to say hi.” My sister’s cheery voice sounded over the phone. “Are you ok? How’s Port Angeles?”

“I’m doing great, we’re just walking around trying to find the store with the sale.” I said, keeping my eyes on Felix to make sure I wasn’t saying anything to make him angry. Apparently I wasn’t, because the smirk never left his face.

“What’s that? You’re in Port Angeles?” My mother’s voice came over the phone, Bella had handed the phone to mom. “Well you stay safe honey and remember to check in, so we know you’re safe.” Felix looked at the phone and then back at me, his eyes were growing impatient.

“I will mom. I need to go before my friends get too far ahead of me, I love you.” It was getting harder to keep my voice even; I wanted more than anything to give some signal that something was wrong, but even if I did there was no one who would be able to get to me in time.

“I love you too, Donna. Here’s your sister.” Mom said as she handed the phone to Bella.

“Message me tonight before you go to bed, alright?” Bella said as soon as she had the phone. “Love you.”

“I will, love you too.” Felix hung up my phone, crushed it in his hands, and dropped the pieces on the ground.

“How wonderful to see you again, _cara mia._ ”


	26. Taken (TW!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! This chapter contains graphic depictions of rape. If you are triggered by this topic, dislike reading about this topic, or simply don't want to read it, then please feel free to skip this chapter.

TW!! Trigger warnings for rape in this chapter. Again, if you do not wish to read a rape scene or are made uncomfortable by it in any way, please feel free to skip this chapter. You will still be able to keep up with the main story without this chapter.

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This is giving you time to leave and change your mind

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Last chance

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Ok, you asked for it.

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“Hi Felix.” I said, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. “What a wonderful surprise.” Felix chuckled as he ran his finger down my neck, hooking the chain of the necklace under his finger and pulling it out from under my shirt.

“Ah, you did wear it. Such a good girl you are, so you found the note?”

“Yes, it’s very beautiful.” I was hoping that if I could keep him talking, maybe I could get him to let me go. I knew the chances were slim, but if he had wanted to kill me, he could have done so countless times before now. “Where did it come from? Carlisle said it was well over a thousand years old.” I tried to keep my breathing calm and my voice steady, but my heartrate was starting to escalate as I could tell by the amused expression on his face, he wasn’t buying it. Damn my eternal inability to make small talk.

“There will be plenty of time for that later, _piccolina._ Right now, we have other things to attend to.” I didn’t like the look he was giving me; his eyes were turning from amused to very predatorial and that was doing nothing for my quickly escalating blood pressure. I swallowed hard before I dared to answer.

“What do you me…ah!” Very few times in my life have I ever actually screamed in surprise, but this was one of them. Before I had even finished my inquiry, he had picked me up and we were flying again. We seemed to be running for a long time before he finally came to a stop and set me down in what seemed to be a very dark and empty house. The bedroom, of a very dark and empty house.

“Felix, where are we?” I asked as I looked around, backing away slowly. I knew I could never outrun a vampire, but I couldn’t just stay still this time. If he had just wanted to kill me, that I could accept, I had never been afraid of death. What I always have been afraid of was a fate worse than death, such as going through extreme and unbearable pain and being left alive. And I had a very sinking feeling that that’s exactly what was about to happen here.

“Where no one can hear you scream, Belladonna.” Felix hadn’t moved yet, but he was giving me a predatory look that terrified me to my core. His eyes were bright red, so I know he wasn’t thirsty. Or, I should say, he wasn’t thirsty for my blood.

“Why would I be screaming?” I asked as I started to tear up. I didn’t want to show weakness or fear, but in front of a creature who can hear your heartbeat I knew that was a pointless endeavor anyway.

“Shh, _cara mia._ ” Felix was suddenly in front of me holding my face in his hands, which effectively stopped me from moving. “Don’t cry, it will be alright.”

“Felix please,” I shook my head trying not to cry, but I could already tell that wouldn’t be a successful endeavor. “please, whatever it is please don’t do it.” I didn’t think that pleading with him would change his mind, but I didn’t have many other options at this point.

“You have a destiny that is greater than anything we’ve done before, _cara mia._ ” He said as he brushed a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. “But a great destiny, requires great sacrifice.” I took the opportunity to make a dash for the window. I wasn’t sure how high it was, but if I could only make it there hopefully it would kill me since there was no other way I would ever outrun a vampire. I didn’t even make it halfway there before I was suddenly pinned up against a wall.

“Felix pl…” Felix grabbed my face and kissed me before I could finish my sentence. As soon as he started kissing me, all thoughts left my mind. It was like I was in a fog, he tasted so sweet and smelled so good that for a moment I forgot what position I was in. That is, until I heard my shirt tear. My eyes popped open and I tried to grab my shirt and hold it together, but he completely tore it into strips and ripped it from my hands. I wrapped my arms around my chest to shield myself and suddenly I wasn’t standing against a wall, I was laying on the bed and Felix was tying my hands to the headboard.

“This will keep you from hurting yourself, _tesorina_.” He said as if I were the worst threat to my well-being right now.

“Felix, please, why are you doing this?” I asked trying to pull my wrists free, which I already knew was a pointless endeavor. “I’m a human. A plain, flawed, worthless, human! Just kill me!” I pleaded as tears started to fall down my face and I choked on a sob. Felix froze and moved down so that he was eye level with me.

“You are not a worthless human, Belladonna Swan. You are a perfect, flawless creature that was not meant for this life.” I just stared at him in extreme confusion. I didn’t understand why he was speaking to me this way when he was about to violate me in a horrible, horrible way. I just went silent and closed my eyes, trying to block everything out and hoping he would just get it over with. Felix chuckled above me.

“I know what you’re doing, _piccolina._ ” He said as he started kissing from my collarbone up my neck. He nibbled on my ear lobe and whispered, “It isn’t going to work.” Felix wrapped his arms around me placing one hand between my shoulder blades and using his other hand to cradle my head tilting it up and to the side so that my neck was exposed and started sucking on a point on my neck that sent shivers down my spine. I tried to tell myself that it was just because he was cold, but I knew from the creeping shame that flooded my cheeks that it wasn’t. And from the way I felt him smiling into my neck, he knew it too.

Felix kissed from my neck down to my chest, and then grabbed the center of my bra and tugged on it, completely yanking it off. I had always been larger than Bella, she’s been stuck at a B since she was 14 and I had finally stopped growing at a D. I opened my mouth to start pleading with him again when he kissed me before I could even get a word out. Once again, my mind turned into a fog and I couldn’t focus on anything. I couldn’t even remember my own name if someone were to ask me. One of his arms disappeared from my back as one of his hands started kneading my breast. Before I could register what was happening, his mouth had left mine and latched on to my other breast and he started sucking on it while roughly kneading the other one. My mind was still in a fog I didn’t even realize that I had let out a moan until it was too late. I blushed bright red as Felix chuckled.

“It’s alright, _cara mia._ No one is around to hear you.”

I was about to argue that there were in fact _two_ people who could hear me, when a very cold finger slipped into my pants and entered my vagina. I gasped in surprise and tried to pull away, but Felix had returned his attention to sucking on my breast and kneading my other one with his free hand. It didn’t hurt, but my muscles all tightened from the intrusion as Felix slowly started working his digit in and out of my entrance.

“You’re already so wet for me, _piccolina,_ and we’ve barely even started.”

I wanted to cry and smack that smirk off his face all at once, but his hand returned to my hair as he kissed me, making me forget why I was mad at him in the first place. He started to quicken his pace as I felt a weird sensation building up in my lower stomach. He added another finger as he started playing with my clit with his thumb as a moan escaped my throat. It was starting to feel too good, and I didn’t want him to think that I wanted this just because my body was enjoying it. I almost wish he would just hurt me so that my body would agree with my mind.

“Felix, please stop. Please.” It was hard to form words when he was kissing me, but the feeling in my lower regions were becoming more and more intense and the last thing I wanted to do was have an orgasm while being assaulted.

“Shh, hush _cara mia._ ” He soothed as he quickened his pace. He abandoned my mouth as he once again latched on to my right nipple sucking on it and kneading my other breast with his free hand. It was beginning to be too much, but when he bit my nipple with his teeth it completely sent me over the edge. I turned my head and stifled my moans in my arm as I tried to catch my breath from my orgasm.

“Ah!!” I jolted up in surprise as pain flooded my lower regions, he had added a third finger. I tried to pull myself away as my insides clinched around his fingers painfully, but he started moving them so quickly I started to feel pleasure along with the pain, but the burning didn’t stop. If he didn’t stop, I was going to tear, and I didn’t want to see him around freshly spilled blood. “Felix I can’t… Jesus Christ!” I suddenly fell back against the pillows as my pants and underwear completely disappeared and his face was buried between my legs. I would have thought that the extreme cold would have taken away from the sensation, but it made me so much more sensitive. I could feel my muscles contracting around his cold tongue as he tasted places inside me I didn’t even know I had. I gripped on to the headboard and tried to stop making such horrid noises, but I couldn’t stop. It was like nothing I had ever felt before and my mind was fighting with wanting it to end while my body wanted him to never, ever stop. It didn’t take long before that feeling built up again in my lower regions and I climaxed harder than I ever had in my life. I was so caught up in my own euphoria, I hardly noticed that Felix’s head was no longer between my legs. It took me a moment to register that Felix wasn’t on top of me at all, but by the time I had fully registered this fact, he was on top of me again but this time without any clothes on. Although I had sworn to hate him for all eternity, I couldn’t help thinking that I couldn’t think of a single god or goddess who wouldn’t be shamed if they were standing side by side with him naked. He was like a flawlessly sculpted god of war, and just seeing him above me I could see how small I really was compared to him. Shoulder to shoulder, I didn’t even cover half of his chest, he truly was beautifully terrifying. My eyes wandered down, and I truly wish they hadn’t, because I saw something else that was huge and definitely would _not_ fit inside me. I once again tried to pull myself away and shove him off of me with my feet.

“You can’t! Felix please I’m a virgin that isn’t going to fit!” I frantically tried to reason with him, but he was just staring at me silently with a smile appearing on his face like he enjoyed watching me try to get away. “Felix please you’ll tear me you can’t…” my words were cut off by an ear-piercing scream that I recognized as my own as he entered me in one thrust.

“Take it out!! Take it out take it out please! Felix please it hurts!” I sobbed as the pain completely consumed my body. Felix was completely frozen as he gripped the headboard with his hands. It took me a moment to register the metallic scent that filled my nose and I realized that I was bleeding, a lot. I looked at Felix, but he was as frozen as before, like he had turned into a statue. I had read online that sometimes guys do this to let their partners adjust, but I would never be able to adjust to _this._ Pain filled my whole being and if my voice weren’t caught in my throat I would still be screaming. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack as the headboard shattered under Felix’s grip and he started pounding in and out of me with a speed I hadn’t thought possible. I screamed and begged for him to stop; the pain was too much. It literally felt like he was going to break me in half. To my horror, I felt another climax building despite the pain not letting up at all. I couldn’t even tell myself whether I was still crying in pain or because I was climaxing, both were so intense I wasn’t sure how to tell them apart. I heard an animalistic growl come from Felix as he sped up even more still and I felt a horrible pain coming from my pelvis as my insides were suddenly filled with freezing cold fluid. I sobbed quietly in relief, hoping this horrible nightmare was over with, but suddenly he flipped us over so that I was sitting on top and started thrusting once more. From this angle, it seemed to go even deeper and a fresh wave of pain entered my body with each thrust. Felix released the crushed headboard to hold on to my hips as he thrusted faster than before, holding me so tightly I was hoping he would crush me and end this pain. I screamed with each thrust as I kept pleading with him to stop, although I couldn’t even understand what I was saying anymore. Felix sat up and latched on to one of my nipples, never slowing his pace. The pain started to recede to the back of my mind as I felt another orgasm building in my lower regions. Felix tangled his fingers in my hair and pulled me into a kiss, just as he started to thrust harder leading me to another climax. Felix held me tightly against him whispering words in a language I didn’t understand; although I knew vampires didn’t need to breathe, he sounded very out of breath. I couldn’t breathe for several seconds, he was holding me so tightly, but soon I was filled once more with liquid as cold as he was before his grip on me loosened.

Felix pulled out of me and laid me down on the bed on my back. My body was sore, and I was still bleeding; I didn’t know how I was still awake, but I was just relieved that it was finally over. I was about to close my eyes when Felix flipped me over and entered me from behind and a fresh wave of pain entered my body. I couldn’t even scream anymore, my throat was too sore, so I just laid there and cried softly in pain as he pounded me into the bed. I wasn’t sure if it was the new position, that I was getting used to it, or that I had just felt too much pain, but this position hurt the least. Felix was moving faster than he had before, and soon the pain started fading away more and more as I felt another climax building. I hadn’t even realized that I was moaning into the pillow until it registered that I wasn’t the only one making that sound. Felix started going faster and harder and I heard something crack as a new wave of pain flooded my body almost at the same time as the bed broke and fell to the floor. Felix had already broken any part of the bed that could be easily reached, so he dug his fingers into the wall as drywall started to fall around us. I had no idea that such pain and pleasure could be felt together simultaneously, but I barely even heard myself scream as I saw stars and fell limp and shaking on the bed. I couldn’t move, I could just lay there shaking and shivering as a too familiar liquid flooded my insides. Felix pulled out and seemed to finally be finished as he stroked my hair and whispered things in my ear that I couldn’t understand. I vaguely registered that I was being moved, as Felix picked me up and moved my hair from my face. I felt his cold lips on my forehead and just barely heard, “Sleep, _cara mia._ ” before everything went black.


	27. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for violence, blood, and non-consensual surgery.

I woke up to noises and the sound of beeping, like a machine. I heard voices around me, but it was like I was trapped underwater and couldn’t get out. I hurt so much, and I was so sore. But then I realized that I was hurting even more than I remember, and those voices I heard were not of anyone who would be visiting me in the hospital.

“You really did a number on her, Felix. Her pelvis is cracked, and I’ve counted two broken bones so far. Not bad compared to what I expected.” I recognized that voice as Demetri’s, but I heard several others chuckle.

“Let’s just finish this so we can seal her up, she’s making me thirsty.” I didn’t recognize that voice, but it was definitely a male vampire.

“You will control yourself or there will be one less member of our party returning to Volterra.” Felix growled as the voice. I wanted to scream; the pain was so bad. I felt like I was completely cut open, but I couldn’t move, or even open my eyes.

“Demetri, I think she’s waking up, her heart rate is increasing.” Said the unidentified male voice.

“Impossible, I gave her enough drugs she should be out until we’re at least halfway home.” Demetri argued. I felt an excruciating pain in my abdomen as I screamed and opened my eyes. I froze at what I saw when my eyes had finally popped open; I was laying on a metal table with a cloth covering my breasts and a needle in my arm, with my abdomen entirely sliced open. The mirror above me gave me a too perfect view, as well as the view of the three vampires standing around me who appeared to be frozen in shock. Demetri was holding a bloody scalpel, and another man I didn’t recognize was holding a metal bowl with a very bloody mass inside, and Felix was standing closest to my head by a table with vials and syringes on it. I tried to sit up, but the pain was too much as I screamed in pain and fell back on the table. I started panicking as I tried to get off the table, which snapped the vampires back to reality as Demetri held down my legs and the other vampire I didn’t recognize set down the bowl and held down my shoulders. Felix was instantly by my face placing a mask over my face and pushing a needle in my neck as tears streamed down my face.

“Please, please, please!” Was all I could say, over and over. I wasn’t even sure what I was pleading for; for them to stop? For them to kill me? For this to all be a horrible nightmare? I wasn’t sure. Felix was shushing me and stroking my hair as I smelled something sweet coming from the mask.

“Shh, it’s alright, _cara mia._ It’s alright. Just relax.”

My frantic breathing began to slow as I felt very lightheaded, and the pain I was feeling began to fade.

“Good girl, go back to sleep.” His voice was so soothing, I almost wanted to go to sleep just because he told me to. I tried to stay awake, but he must have given me more drugs because as the pain faded away, so did my consciousness.

I couldn’t feel anything else, but I could sometimes hear voices talking in a language that I didn’t understand. I wasn’t sure if I were dreaming or waking up, but it seemed to go on for a long time that I would fade in and out of the blackness, hearing voices as though they were under water before they started to become more clear.

“We’re almost done here; we just need to clean up this mess. Santiago, take her to the car while we finish up here.” I was certain that was Demetri.

“I’ll take her to the car.” I heard Felix interject.

“Felix, you’re better around blood than he is. It’s best if he takes her to the car and gets some air before he helps us destroy the building.” Demetri insisted. “Don’t worry, soon we’ll be home, and you can have her to yourself.” Felix sighed and I suppose he must have given some kind of signal, because he didn’t say anything else before I was picked up by the other vampire. I stayed completely still, hoping he would believe that I was still asleep, as I felt a cool breeze across my face; he must have taken me outside. We walked for a little while before he laid me down in the back seat of the car. I opened my eyes as soon as I heard the door shut and tried to move. I wasn’t sure what their plan was aside from going to Italy, but I knew that if that happened, I would never be heard from again. I sat up and noticed the absence of pain that I remembered so distinctly from before I fell asleep, but I also felt very tired and lightheaded; they must have given me some kind of drugs. I knew I needed to hurry before they came back; I would never outrun them on my best day, let alone like this. I got out of the car and stumbled into a building, it was weird to move when you couldn’t feel anything and were disoriented. It seemed like a very long time, but I knew it couldn’t have been long that I stumbled down that alleyway when I saw a car parked on the side of the road and some other cars driving by. Perfect.

I heard a car door shut behind me and knew that they must have noticed I was gone by now; I moved as fast as I could and basically fell into the car. It was a poor taxi driver eating lunch, who looked very concerned at the teenager who just fell into his car.

“Belladonna!” I heard one of them yell from far too close behind me, I was too panicked to care which one it was. I pulled the door open and fell inside slamming the door closed.

“Drive.” Was all I was able to say. I didn’t need to say it, apparently, because as soon as I was in the taxi driver had sped down the road. I sat up just long enough to see three pairs of red infuriated eyes glaring at me from the alleyway that was quickly getting smaller before I collapsed exhausted into the seat.


	28. Aftermath

It took two taxis and a bus to get back to Forks, and then I walked to the reservation and through the woods to Emily’s. The drugs had begun to wear off during the last taxi ride, but I just felt numb despite my constant shivering. I wasn’t sure if I was shivering and shaking from the intense pain or the intense cold I felt, but both of those seemed to belong to a different person. I still felt the pain, but I felt hollow inside; it was like my mind and body were disconnected from each other. My body was in excruciating pain and every movement was torture, but it was like my mind didn’t feel it and kept on forcing me to move. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I made it to Emily’s, but the sun was beginning to go down. I knocked on her door just as I began to feel lightheaded again.

“Donna?” Emily opened the door with a confused expression on her face. “Donna is everything alright?” Emily gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as she took in my appearance, I’m sure I looked like a mess. I tried to open my mouth to tell her something, but no words would come out. The last thing I remembered was falling to the ground seizing and hearing Emily’s frantic screams before losing consciousness.

I woke up to a very soft voice singing me a lullaby in a language I recognized as Quileute and when I looked up, I realized that it was Mother Aponi softly singing and stroking my hair. Emily and Leah arrived a short time later with an older woman from the tribe who is known to secretly treat “female injuries” as she called it. She was very kind, and she cried when she gave me an examination. She and Mother Aponi made me a little bundle of herbs to add to bath water and bathe in, they said it assisted with injuries and pain on the inside. Emily and Leah helped me out of the light blue dress I was found in, though I can only assume Felix dressed me in it since I had never seen it before. Even though it was long sleeved and went down nearly to my ankles, I was freezing. Emily only got the dress to my stomach before she started crying; Leah managed to get it off before her tears started to fall and she covered her mouth with her hand as though she was going to be sick. I wasn’t sure what was so upsetting, until I turned and looked in the mirror. My entire body from my neck, down to my arms, to right above my knees were covered in black, blue, and dark purple markings. I turned slightly to see my back, and it looked as though I had bathed in food coloring. But possibly the most disturbing thing were the two scars that were on my abdomen. One was horizontal, going from one hip bone to the other, while the other was vertical, going from my naval down to my pubic bone. The scars were lighter than my skin and shimmered in the light, just like Bella’s scar on her hand and the three little scars I had gotten from Italy. The entire area surrounding the scars were a light blue, like the beginning stages of frostbite. I placed my hand on the area and closed my eyes, it was freezing. This must be the reason why I was constantly cold.

After bathing I laid back down in bed, and someone was always with me. Leah typically stayed with me and laid next to me in silence, keeping me warm with her high body heat. I had heard Emily talking to Sam outside, she didn’t want any men in the room for fear it would scare me after what happened. Sam left Leah and two other wolves there at all times for my protection, he was furious over what happened. When Leah wasn’t staying with me, Emily or Mother Aponi would come stay with me instead. They never asked to talk, which was appreciated. Mother Aponi would simply sit on the bed with me and stroke or brush my hair while singing me lullabies or telling me stories and legends of the tribes. Emily would come in and read to me from books she knew I liked. All I felt was pain, cold, and numbness; even when Leah laid next to me and warmed me until she risked giving me heat rash, I still felt cold on the inside. Even when Mother Aponi gave me medicinal tea that eased the pain in my body, I was still in agony. While at the same time, I felt nothing at all. I never cried, I never spoke, I barely even moved. It was like someone had activated some kind of “off” switch and I couldn’t control my own limbs anymore. Emily had called Charlie and explained that there was a case of the measles going around part of the reservation, and I had contracted it and had to stay there for quarantine. It was nearly a week before Bella came to see me; apparently, she didn’t put together that something was actually wrong until Rosalie insisted that even if I were sick, I wouldn’t have gone without communicating with them. Even after she figured out that something was wrong, it took her a couple of days to come over because Edward didn’t trust the wolves enough for her to be alone on the reservation, and he couldn’t accompany her because of a treaty stating he could not step foot on Quileute land.

“You have to let me in there, she is my sister!” Bella insisted. Although she had arrived at the house, Emily and Leah wouldn’t let her in to see me.

“She doesn’t need anyone in there who chooses a _leech_ over their own sister.” Leah was practically seething. She didn’t like Bella before due to her and Edward being together, as well as Leah felt that Bella was simply using Jacob despite knowing he has feelings for her, but now she absolutely hated her. Leah firmly believed that if Bella had kept a closer eye on me rather than be so distracted with Edward, this wouldn’t have happened.

“I never chose anyone over her!” Bella seemed offended at the very accusation.

“No?” Leah challenged. “Who cared for whom when your precious leeches ran off and left you? Who risked their life to help you escape Italy and ended up with venom scars when you went to save your boyfriend? Who was left completely alone when you forgot her existence the moment that your boyfriend entered your life?” Bella frowned and took a step back.

“What are you talking about? Donna never even left the car in Italy…” Leah cut Bella off with a laugh that was far more mocking than it was amused.

“You have no idea. Tell me, _Bella_ ,” Leah practically hissed her name. “Can you see anything at all going on outside of your own life?”

“That’s enough, Leah.” Emily interjected. “Bella, Donna needs to heal. She hasn’t said a word since she got here, and we have no idea which le…” She cleared her throat slightly before she said ‘leech’. “which vampire did this to her. I don’t think that she would feel comfortable with you being there.”

“Are you implying that you think one of the Cullen’s did this?!” Bella looked disgusted and angry all at once.

“They are the most likely candidates.” Leah said venomously.

“We don’t know who did it.” Emily said, trying to defuse the situation. “But we do know it was a vampire, and your relationship wasn’t exactly the best before due to most of your time being spent around a male vampire. So, no matter who or what is to blame, I just don’t think that it would be good for her health.”

“You can’t keep me from her, she is my sister!” Bella was starting to get angry as she tried to push passed Emily and Leah, but Leah quickly shoved her back, starting to get angry.

“Can’t I? Why don’t you watch it you little leech loving…”

“Leah.” Everyone froze and turned to see me in the doorway. I wasn’t sure what shocked them the most, the fact that I spoke or that I was out of bed. “It’s ok. I can see Bella for a few minutes before she goes home.”

“Leah, let’s make Donna something to eat while she visits with Bella.” Emily looked like she might cry with joy as she rushed out of the room pulling Leah with her.

“Donna…” Bella breathed as she looked me over in shock. I was a lot paler than before, and my hair had gotten darker from lack of sunlight and I already knew my eyes looked like a raccoon from lack of sleep. I’m sure the oversized robe I wore didn’t help my appearance much either.

“Hi, Bella.” I said quietly as I walked back into the room, curling up on the bed under the covers. Bella followed me inside slowly, still looking in shock as she sat in the chair by the bed next to me.

“Donna, what happened?”

“I don’t have the measles.” I said quietly.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, gently feeling my forehead. “You have a fever, how long has this been going on?” Although I heard her question, I had suddenly lost any will to speak to her. Suddenly, I started shivering worse and shaking from all the pain I felt.

“Donna?” Bella said in alarm as she stood up. Leah must have heard her, because she rushed in and pulled back my hair just in time for me to lean over and puke in a trash can by the bed.

“I think it’s time for you to leave now.” Leah said as she gently rubbed my back. Bella looked like she was about to protest, but Mother Aponi motioned to her from the doorway.

“Come, child.” She said as she led Bella out the door. “Your sister is very unwell, speaking of it triggers severe reactions. We do not speak of it. When she is ready, she will speak about it.”

“But what happened? I don’t understand what’s wrong other than she seems cold and has a fever.” Bella argued.

“Donna showed up at Emily’s door in a very horrid state, I have no idea how she even made it here.” Mother Aponi began gravely. She paused and took a breath before she spoke again. “Your sister has been assaulted by a vampire.”

“What do you mean assaulted?” Bella frowned.

“Bruises cover more of her body than her own skin.” Mother Aponi continued. “She had broken bones, and several injuries on the inside of her. Both through sexual assault and what appears to be some form of torture. There is evidence that she has been sliced open and something done to at least one of her organs.”

“What?!” Bella covered her mouth with both hands as she teared up. “You’re saying that my little sister was tortured and raped by a vampire? But how? She was supposed to be with friends in Port Angeles!”

“I do not know exactly what occurred or how, but this is only what we have been able to observe. Who knows what else was done that we can’t see, Donna has not said one word before today, and any mention of the incident sends her into hysterics.” Mother Aponi looked at Bella. “If you come see this child again, you will do nothing to upset her. Otherwise I will personally see to it that you are removed from the entire reservation indefinitely.”

I couldn’t hear what else was said, but I heard a door close, so I knew that Bella had left. Emily came in and brought me some soup hoping I would eat. I managed to eat half of the bowl before I couldn’t stomach anymore. I didn’t want to sleep, but I was exhausted. I laid down and hoped with everything I had that by some miracle I wouldn’t dream about glowing red eyes.


	29. Priorities

Bella came to visit me a few days later. She brought my winter blanket from home and some of my favorite books so Emily could read them to me. She told me how worried dad was, and that she still set the table for me every night. She told me all about her trip to see mom and that Edward still hadn’t given up the ridiculous notion of marriage if she wanted him to be the one to change her instead of Carlisle. After a little while, Bella got up and kissed my head and left the room to go talk to Emily and Mother Aponi.

“She needs to see Carlisle.” Bella insisted.

“Absolutely not.” Emily said. I could tell by her tone that she was not budging on this point. Bella sighed and I could just imagine her rolling her eyes.

“She’s been here long enough. She needs to come home and Carlisle needs to examine her to find out what happened.”

“Do you hate you sister?” Emily sounded disgusted and unbelieving that she would even suggest such a thing. “It was traumatizing enough for her to be examined by a woman. Can you even imagine what it would do to her to be put through that again, but by a male vampire?”

“She’s obviously not going to tell us what happened; and she can’t just stay here in bed forever.” Bella persisted.

“And who says she can’t?” Emily interjected. “She will stay here as long as she needs.”

“Carlisle is a doctor. He can help her, and she needs to be home. I’m sure Donna would agree to go home if I asked her.” Bella sounded like she was coming near the door, but I suppose she was stopped because her footsteps abruptly came to a halt.

“You will not use your blood ties to influence her in this matter.” Mother Aponi said firmly. “She came here on her own. She did not go to your house; she did not go to the Cullens’. She came here. And this is where she will stay until she wishes to leave without any influence from those with other priorities.”

“What other priorities?!” Bella was getting upset now. “This is what’s best for her.”

“You are so concerned with proving the innocence of your vampires that you do not consider her well-being. If you believe within yourself that they are innocent, then you do not need Donna to confirm that.” Mother Aponi stated.

“I am certain of their innocence.” Bella said angrily. “But it’s important to know who it was so that they can pay for what they’ve done.”

“Well then, I’m sure that you can compile a short list of suspects and do things that way. The perpetrator is not our main concern right now, our main concern is her safety and well-being. I would think that should be yours as well.” Mother Aponi concluded. “Have a good day, Isabella.” I could tell by her tone that there was no room for argument.

Bella didn’t come back to see me at all, and it was another week before I was able to do anything besides lay in bed. It still hurt to move, several of my bones had been cracked and my right leg was broken as well as a bone in my left hip. I was still cold all the time, but I was beginning to get used to it, and the bruises were really starting to clear up. Everyone was amazed that I was able to walk considering the injuries, and the fact that my bones shouldn’t be as healed as they were.

“You know that you are welcome here for as long as you need, don’t you my child?” Mother Aponi asked as she braided my hair, her face deep with concern.

“I know. And I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me, but Bella was right. I can’t stay here forever.” I looked down slightly as I played with the edge of my sleeve. Mother Aponi gently turned my face so that I was looking at her.

“My dear child, we cannot put a time on our healing. It is not a weakness, or something to run from. Being here in this moment shows your strength. If forever is what you need, forever is what you’ll have. We would be more than pleased to have you here.” I wasn’t sure what it was, but there was a look of sincerity in her eyes that made something very small shift inside of me and I just started crying. Mother Aponi hugged me and gently stroked my hair rocking back and forth as if soothing a small child.

I stayed for a few more days, crying for most of them. Part of me wanted to stay forever, just curl up in bed and not have to think of anything else for the rest of my life. But I knew that I would never feel better if I didn’t try to live again. So, I thanked Emily, Leah, and Mother Aponi for everything they did for me and after many assurances that I knew I could come back at any time, I went back home. Dad was so relieved to see my I thought for a moment he was going to cry. He said that if I had to stay any longer, he was about to contract measles just so he could visit me in quarantine. Bella didn’t say much, but she hugged me and welcomed me home. I knew that she would want me to go and see Carlisle soon, but I tried not to think about that too much. I knew that as soon as I went there, they would ask what had happened and who did it. Not telling them felt wrong, but at the same time if I did tell them, what would that solve? They couldn’t do anything, the Volturi would kill them if they tried. And if they knew, Rosalie would definitely try and go fight them. Emmett would go with Rose, and they would both be killed. What I was more afraid of, though, was that if I told them and they collectively decided to do nothing. I hated myself for thinking this way, because of course I didn’t want them to go and get themselves hurt in a losing battle. But at the same time, I knew that if Bella had been in the same position, they would risk everything to make sure someone paid for it even if it were a horrible risk. And with the way that things have been going, I was afraid that they wouldn’t be willing to take that risk for me. I knew that it was extremely selfish to think this way, but I didn’t want that confirmation that I was that much of a lower priority. I knew that they cared, but I also knew that they had many other problems and priorities that were higher on their list than I was and I didn’t want to find out exactly where I was on that list because I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.


	30. Unknowns

_***Felix POV***_

Aro was very displeased that things had not gone as planned, but he was not as upset as I had anticipated. He was more perplexed by the situation than anything else; it highly intrigued him that she was able to get away at all, especially considering the state she was in.

“Very interesting.” Aro said thoughtfully after he had finished reliving the incident through our minds. Even after having seen it from three different angles, he was perplexed.

“Our most humble apologies, Master.” Santiago was the most ashamed, he had never been on an assignment with us when failure was involved. Demetri and I had been here longer, though, and knew that this was not Aro’s definition of failure.

“Peace, my dear one.” Aro said as he held up his hand, still lost in his own thoughts. “It would appear that this situation had a more complex dynamic than any of us anticipated.”

“Master, Caius wishes for us to go monitor the situation in Seattle with Jane, what shall I tell him?” Demetri inquired. Marcus and Caius knew nothing of our assignment from Aro. Marcus couldn’t care less about being kept in the dark even if he knew, Caius however would fly into a rage.

“Allow me to deal with Caius and his inquiries.” Aro said with a smile, he loved having a secret. “Take some time and collect your thoughts, then go and make preparations to leave with Jane. Take Santiago with you, run along now.” Demetri looked rather perturbed but left all the same with Santiago close behind him.

“Are you confident in your ability to finish this on your own, Felix?” Aro asked as he watched the door.

“Yes, Master.”

“Good.” He said as he turned smiling. “I have all the confidence in the world of your capabilities. This minor set back has in fact provided us with useful information, another small piece to our little blue-eyed puzzle.” Aro stopped and thought for a few moments. “You know that I will not be able to see you if you return before Jane and Alec are finished.”

“I’m aware, Master. I haven’t forgotten.” I assured him. I knew how important timing was, especially at this stage.

“Don’t rush yourself, everything must be timed perfectly and there must be no trace.” Aro looked at me pointedly to ensure I understood the severity of the matter. He already knew I did, but he had gotten very familiar with his unorthodox paternal role over the centuries.

“Don’t worry, even Demetri won’t be able to decipher what happened should he come across it.” I smirked and Aro laughed, he always did have a strange sense of humor.

“The only thing I am anxious for, dear one, is for your quick return. Go, I wish you great success and please be swift in your journey home.” Aro smiled and sighed ruefully, as he did each time he sent us out. I nodded and left his chambers, hopefully I wouldn’t run into Jane on the way out.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

_***Donna POV***_

I knew I couldn’t avoid going to the Cullens’ forever. When I finally stopped by, Rosalie was already there waiting for me. She held my hand while Carlisle gave me an examination. Once he finished, he looked more troubled than I had ever seen him.

“What is it Carlisle?” Rosalie demanded. Carlisle looked from Rose, to me, to the ground as though he were deep in thought. “Carlisle.” Rosalie demanded. “She deserves to know what was done to her.”

“All of the wounds were sealed and have scarred over with vampire venom, although I’m not sure how.” Carlisle sighed shaking his head. “By all accounts, with as much venom as was used you shouldn’t be human right now. The damage was quite extensive, both external and…” Carlisle took a breath, as if he wasn’t sure how to phrase the next word. “and internal.”

“What did they do to my organs?” I asked; this was the part that worried me the most, I needed to know what they were doing when I woke up.

“I wish I had an answer to that.” Carlisle shook his head again; he was truly troubled by what had happened. “None of my scans can penetrate it. While your skin is still human, whatever they did on the inside of you during surgery has made it impossible for my machines to do a proper scan. All that my scans show are one large mass where your organs should be. Unfortunately, the only way to truly understand what was done would be to cut you back open, but that presents too high of a risk. Since we have no idea what they did, I can’t determine how safe it would be to open you up once more. Not to mention the healing of your bones, which is far more progressed than it should be.”

“So that means that the only way to find out what happened,” Rosalie began.

“Would be to find them and ask them.” I finished quietly.

“Carlisle, would you give us a minute please.” Rosalie said as she looked at me. Carlisle simply nodded once, and then he was gone. “Donna,” Rosalie said as she knelt in front of me. “Why won’t you tell us who did this? We need to have all of the information we can so that we can protect you.” I knew that Rose didn’t understand, she didn’t know why I wouldn’t tell her everything. Part of her I’m sure was a little hurt, since we both knew she would understand my situation better than anyone else here.

“So that I can protect you.” I answered her quietly. I knew that Rose would try and go after them if she knew, even if no one else went with her. Emmett would probably go with her, and then they both would be killed, and it would be my fault.

“You don’t need to protect us Donna, we can handle ourselves. But we can only do so much if we don’t know who to watch out for.” Rosalie frowned.

“Rose,” I looked down and took a breath, unsure if I really wanted to ask this question. I felt like I needed to know the answer, but I wasn’t sure if now was the right time to try and find that answer. “Why would a vampire get so fixated on a human?” I asked as I looked at her. “Out of countless humans to choose from, why would a vampire become fixated on just one?”

“Well,” Rosalie frowned. “One reason would be what initially drew Edward to Bella, the scent of her blood. It appeals to him so specifically that most of our kind would kill for that in an instant. But because of how we live, it took all of his willpower to resist. And during that process, he fell in love with her. For our kind, change isn’t frequent. It hardly ever happens at all; and so, when we find our mate, it’s an eternal infatuation. We never let that go or feel differently.” Rosalie explained.

“But what if they don’t live like you?” I asked, trying not to give too much away. Most vampires didn’t live as they did, so that wasn’t really a hint. “What if they don’t live like you do, and they fed off of human blood? If a human appealed to them, like Bella does to Edward, then they could just drain them then and there and be done with it. They wouldn’t need to keep appearing and yet keep them alive for some arbitrary reason.” Rosalie frowned.

“Donna, exactly how often have you seen this vampire?” She asked. I frowned and went silent.

“Rose, Donna.” Alice smiled as she practically skipped into the room. “Let’s get going, we should get Donna home. She needs her rest before school tomorrow. Planning prom isn’t easy when you lack your beauty sleep.” Alice smiled and flew out of the room. I groaned, laying my head on my knees, I had forgotten that Alice was determined to make me go to prom. Alice thought that dressing up and going to a dance would be just the thing to lift my spirits. When I told her that I would much rather skydive from a plane, she just said that she would pick my dress and shoes.

“Come on, I’ll take you home. Sounds like you’re in for a long day tomorrow.” Rose chuckled and took my hand as she led me out of the room. Maybe Alice was right, maybe going to prom would be a good thing. Hopefully. 


	31. Prom

Prom wouldn’t so bad, really; at least that’s what I kept telling myself. Rose had given me a dress and Alice did my hair and make-up. She had insisted that I wear heels, although she lost that fight with Bella. 

“But why do I have to wear them when Bella gets to wear flats?” I argued. I didn’t actually mind wearing heels, I just wanted to argue the double standard.

“Because you look stunning in them and your sister would kill herself wearing them while you will not.” Alice smiled as she fastened the straps.

“Alice, I don’t even have anyone to dance with. Can’t I stay home?” We had already been through this one, too. One thing that all of the Cullens agreed on was that no human experience should be missed out on.

“No, you cannot stay home. You are only going to be a junior in high school once, and you aren’t missing your prom. There will be plenty of people to dance with once you get there.” Alice smiled touching up my hair. “Besides, the atmosphere will be good for you, you need more happiness in your life. And more socialization.” I sighed and gave up on the discussion.

The theme for prom this year was the Mount Olympus, everyone was supposed to dress up like a member of the Greek pantheon. Alice dressed Bella up as Persephone, the goddess of spring who was taken by Hades to the Underworld. Due to the lament of her mother, she was allowed to come back to her original home for half of the year, and she would return to the Underworld for the other half. Spring, life, and happiness depend on her being in this world, and when she leaves to the Underworld then things begin to die, and summer comes to an end. Edward had meant this as a subtle message to Bella, hoping to deter her from her adamancy about becoming a vampire. He, of course, dressed as Hades to complete the look. Rose dressed me up as Nyx, the goddess of the night. Nyx is known to be the only goddess besides Hera that Zeus is truly afraid of; she is a very beautiful goddess, yet always shields her face with a mist of darkness so that only those who can appreciate the beauty of the night can actually see her face.

Rose let me take her car so that I wouldn’t have to ride with either Bella and Edward or Alice and Jasper and appear to be a third wheel, I told her that it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. At the school, they actually did a really good job of setting the theme. Everything was set up to look like what Mount Olympus was envisioned to be; white and gold were everywhere, and the fog machine helped make the little fake clouds on the ground seem less like oversized cotton balls. A couple of boys from some of my classes asked me to dance and I said yes because I knew Alice was watching me, but I instantly regretted it as soon as we started dancing. The first boy who had asked me, I’m pretty sure his name was Jason, kept on stepping on my toes and accidentally tripping me. Darian, the second boy who I danced with, kept on kicking me in the ankles and nearly danced us into a table because he had no balance whatsoever. After the end of the second dance, I looked over and saw that Alice’s attentions were now entirely on Jasper, and Edward’s attentions were entirely on Bella. Satisfied that I’d done my part in participating in prom, I grabbed some punch and slipped outside before any other overconfident teenage boy tried to destroy my feet.

It was very peaceful out here. It was a beautiful clear night with plenty of stars and a full moon. I wondered if the wolves were making each other laugh right about now, pretending to go crazy during the full moon. Like the Cullens, the wolves found most folklore surrounding what they were to be hilarious. There weren’t very many people out here, only two couples were dancing in the gazebo, a few other students were taking a walk, and there were a couple of students on the benches by the tree line taking advantage of the shadows to make out. I went over to one of the vacant benches decorated to look like a cloud directly in front of a large tree and sat down leaning against the tree so I could just watch the sky. I absent-mindedly played with the necklace I still wore around my neck. I wasn’t entirely sure why I still wore it; it should be a reminder of my pain. And yet, it wasn’t. I couldn’t explain why, but the necklace made me feel better; it made me feel _seen._ I knew I had to be missing something in this, and it drove me insane. All of the information was conflicting, it didn’t add up to any pre-assumed behavior. Rationally, vampires would see humans as nothing but food, and yet he never killed me despite having every opportunity. So, not for food, there went one option. Edward had mentioned before that Aro is a collector, he collects things that he likes and found useful or intriguing, such as vampires or humans with the potential for a gift that he would find useful. Rationally, that would mean that he would want Bella and I perhaps as vampires to add to his collection. However, Bella would be noticeably missed; there’s no way that Edward would let her out of his site. And if the end goal were to turn me into a vampire, they could have just made sure that I never left Italy. And yet, I left Italy with Alice and the others and they had no idea that I was even gone from the car. Perhaps they were sadistic and just wanted to torture a human and for some reason I was simply the unlucky mortal who drew the short straw, but even that didn’t make sense. Yes, as a whole Felix and other members of the Volturi had cause me an indescribable amount of pain and harm, but that didn’t line up with other actions. If the point were to cause me pain, I could have disappeared in Italy or even before then and been locked away somewhere in inescapable torment and never been found, but this hasn’t been the case. And even so, why would Felix put me back in the car with a jacket to keep me warm, or arrange the cloak as a pillow for me to sleep on? Why would he give me any kind of gift at all, especially something as priceless as the necklace? Why would they make me unconscious for the surgery and give me pain killing drugs, if the point was my pain? Even during the assault, why would he spend so much time trying to get me to stop crying or even demean myself when he was doing such horrible things? It was like he had two personalities, and I couldn’t understand the motivations of either one.

“Admiring your own handiwork, little goddess?”

I froze. I knew that voice, but it couldn’t be real. Edward and Alice and Jasper would all know if another vampire were here. I tore my eyes away from the stars, to try and disprove what I already knew to be true. My heart stopped beating entirely as I saw one of the shadows by the tree-line move, revealing shining red eyes that I couldn’t escape even in my dreams. I heard him click his tongue in disapproval as his figure emerged from the shadows.

“How irresponsible it is to be out here on your own, _cara mia._ You never know what kind of monsters are lurking around in the dark.”


	32. The Dance

It was like I couldn’t move. I just stood there, staring at him for what seemed like an eternity, but I knew it couldn’t have lasted longer than a few seconds. He didn’t move, either. He just stood there looking at me with that signature smirk on his face.

“Well, when you’re the goddess of night you don’t need to be afraid of the monsters who are in the dark.” That sounded stupid even to my own ears, but at least my voice was steady. He chuckled as I realized for the first time that he was also dressed for the theme, but he had more in common with the Cullens than with any of the humans here. All of the vampires actually looked like the deities they dressed as, it suited them more than the humans they pretended to be on a daily basis. Alice truly did look like Circe, and more than once she teased Jasper, dressed as Odysseus, that she would turn him into a woodpecker. Seeing them all here, it was easy to see why people used to believe that gods walked among mortals. Even though I knew what they were, it was almost difficult not to believe it myself. And Felix stood there, dressed as Erebus, god of the darkness.

“I wouldn’t have chosen that as your costume, it seems a little dark for you.” Felix casually commented as he appraised my outfit. I wasn’t sure why, but that made me angry. How would he know what was too dark for me?

“I wouldn’t have picked your outfit either.” I said with an edge to my voice. I immediately thought that maybe I shouldn’t be talking to him that way, maybe I shouldn’t be talking at all. I couldn’t run away, but if I screamed one of the others would get to me before he would, wouldn’t they?

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow as he started walking slowly in what seemed to be a half circle, but it was closer to me. “And what would you have chosen?”

“Ares.” I answered honestly, taking a step back. I froze, remembering for the first time the other people out here. This wasn’t like any of the other times I had encountered Felix, there were other people here this time. That either meant that he had to be careful as to avoid witnesses, or I had to be careful as to avoid their slaughter. I needed to watch what I said, because their life wasn’t worth that gamble.

“Hmm.” Felix said as he studied me. “Interesting.” Felix was looking at me strangely, as if I had just posed a question he didn’t know the answer to. He stared at me for a moment, but it was like he was seeing a different time. I wasn’t quite sure what I should do, whether I should take advantage of his reverie and try to make my way back inside or whether I should just wait and hope that he isn’t planning on slaughtering everyone out here. Surely he couldn’t do that, a death toll like that at a school dance would attract too much attention. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a gamble then if I were to run or scream…

“I should get back inside; the others will be wondering where I am.” It was best to not try to run, that might draw out the hunter in him. But if I were to just walk away, what could he really do to stop me with so many witnesses and other vampires so close by? I turned to walk back inside when he was suddenly in front of me.

“Won’t you dance with me?” He asked pleasantly. I could do nothing but stare; of all the things I expected him to do or say, I wasn’t expecting that.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I said blankly, still not really comprehending what was happening. Felix smiled, and for a moment I didn’t understand why I had just thought it was a bad idea, but something in my mind was trying to remind me as to why.

“Your friends are so engrossed in their own evening; I can guarantee they won’t miss you for one dance. Shall we?” Felix smiled and held out his hand. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and for a moment my brain was in a fog.

“Okay.” I said as I took his hand and followed him to the gazebo. As soon as my hand touched his cold one, my abdomen ached with the same coldness that was now constantly there. Although that cleared the fog out of my brain, there was now no way that I could leave without him releasing my hand. I noticed as we reached the gazebo that most of the remaining people outside were retreating inside; I’m sure even in costume they found Felix terrifying. Good, that meant that there were fewer people around to slaughter if I should say the wrong thing.

“You look much better than the last time I saw you.” He commented as we started to dance to the slow song that I didn’t recognize. One hand was holding mine, and the other was wrapped around my lower back, which was still a lower temperature than the rest of my body due to the proximity to whatever organs had been tampered with.

“Is that what you’re here to fix?” I asked curtly. “Because each time you appear out of nowhere, you always seem to take it upon yourself to make a new ‘modification’.” I wasn’t entirely sure where my sudden anger had come from, or when I had lost enough of my sense of self-preservation to voice that anger.

“Of course not.” Felix frowned. “What would make you think that?” He seemed genuinely confused by my statement, and that angered me more.

“What _wouldn’t_ make me think that?!” I looked at him with enraged eyes. “Are you so unobservant that you seriously don’t know what I mean? I understand men are dense, but I wouldn’t have guessed that’s a trait that followed them through immortality!” I froze with wide eyes; I wasn’t sure where that even came from. I had to have been spending way too much time with Leah. Even if everyone else was inside, if I made him mad, he could still kill a lot of people; people who weren’t involved in this twisted world I had fallen into. To my surprise, Felix laughed.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, getting angry again. It wasn’t like me to get angry so easily like this, but just him laughing made me want to slap his face off. I guess my face betrayed my murderous thoughts because he just laughed harder.

“You are.” He said like it was obvious. “You’re so tiny and breakable, yet you look like you want to burn down a city.” He chuckled, still not over his humor.

“Maybe I would if you were in it.” I said glaring at him. Apparently, my glare did not have the intended effect, as he looked like he was trying not to laugh once more. But he got the message because he did at least try not to laugh.

“Such a violent little temper.” He chuckled, still bemused. He stopped dancing and stepped back; it was only then that I noticed that the music had stopped. He bent down and pressed his cold lips to my hand. “Thank you for the lovely dance, _cara mia._ You didn’t even trip once.” He chuckled and then was suddenly gone, leaving me alone in the gazebo.


	33. Fates

I just stood there frozen for a moment, staring at where he was standing just a few moments ago. Did he seriously just insinuate that I was _clumsy?_ I would understand that if someone were talking to Bella, but I wasn’t nearly as uncoordinated. I don’t know why that offended me as much as it had, but it did. I placed my hand on my cold stomach, the scars suddenly aching so badly it almost felt like they were going to open back up on their own. I shouldn’t have come to prom, I should have just stayed home and curled up with one of my books and enjoyed my evening and I was going to remedy that situation right now before I started to cry. I sent Bella a text telling her that I was going home early and made my way back to Rosalie’s car. The tears didn’t start falling until I was pulling out of the parking lot, and then they wouldn’t stop.

I wasn’t even certain why I was crying; I was just so confused. I couldn’t understand it, I couldn’t understand him. I can never know what to expect when he suddenly appears, because each encounter just leaves me more confused than the last. This encounter has left me more confused than any of them, it just didn’t make any sense. Maybe the point of all of this was to drive me insane, just a game to make some poor random human mentally unstable by making everything so unpredictable I lose my mind. I remember when Bella first met Edward, he was unpredictable around her for months. He was hostile one encounter, polite the next, then he ignored her, then he saved her life and was hostile again, then he ignored her for months before he finally started acting like himself around her. But things were different Edward, he was in love with Bella, but he also wanted to kill her because he’s so attracted to her blood. Even so, he never physically hurt her during any of that time, he was just trying to keep her safe and keep the secret of his family safe and that caused his many mood swings. I shook my head to clear away my ridiculous comparisons; this situation was nothing like that one. I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand as I drove down the highway. My stomach was beginning to hurt worse, and my skin ached with the cold; my phone started vibrating like I was getting a call, and I remember reaching over to the seat next to me to get it, but before I could answer it I felt a sharp sting in my neck like I had been stung by a wasp. I reached up and removed a very thin needle from my neck before I suddenly lost consciousness.

_***Felix POV***_

I jumped down to the car from the trees and was able to catch her before her face hit the steering wheel. I slid her into my lap and replaced her foot with my own on the accelerator and pulled over to the side of the road. I sat there for a moment and gently moved her hair from her face, frowning when I saw that she had been crying; why would she cry? Perhaps I went a little far in my teasing tonight, humans don’t typically enjoy being reminded how frail they are. Nevertheless, I didn’t think the comment would make her cry. I jumped out of the car, wrapping her in the blanket I had brought along for the occasion. Although I knew she should be far away from what I needed to do next, I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone. I leaned my frail little goddess against a tree a safe distance into the woods; she looked so peaceful when she was asleep. I wondered what it was that she dreamt about; surely, she had different dreams than other humans. Almost everything about her was different from other humans, even from her sister. I was reminded by the thunder overhead that I didn’t have time at the present moment to compare differences in mortals if this plan were to succeed; there would be plenty of time for that after I was finished. I worked quickly, everything already pre-planned to happen at precisely the right moment. Even considering the slight chance it did not succeed, by the time anyone realized it was a ruse it would be too late. Last time was an unfortunate set back, this time I would make sure that there would be no mistakes. I finally made my way back to Belladonna, and for a moment she hardly looked mortal. Laying there in the darkness, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could overlook her as much as the populace in this place had. I picked up her sleeping form and shielded her with the blanket before beginning to run, I just hoped that the blanket would be enough to prevent the wind from waking her up.

I wondered how she would react when she woke up in a new place. Resentful, surely, possibly angry, or she may try to not react at all. I frowned at the realization that all of these reactions were inherently negative, but that would just be temporary. It was a cruel trick of the Fates to place such a girl into a fragile, breakable shell and try and doom her to a short life filled with pain. I never understood the contentment of mortals, their lives would never truly be complete. They struggle all their lives for something that they have a small chance of reaching in the first place, only to find that the contentment was not worth even a fraction of the effort and pain taken to acquire such a goal. All the while they’re wasting away, almost literally rotting while they still go about their daily routine. I never understood why such fools like the Cullens would not only resent their immortality, but also mock it by creating their own prisons in the midst of a life that should give them more freedom than they’d ever known. They condemn themselves to pain every day by refusing to satiate their thirst, I suppose in that perspective knowing that death would come would be preferential. Perhaps they were trying to recreate a semblance of the pain that mortals experience, so they could pretend to be even closer to the species they’ve all but made their gods.

I shook my head at the ludicrousness of it all. And this was an eternity that Isabella Swan wanted for herself; well, her sister would not share that fate. I looked at her peaceful, sleeping face and wondered what she thought about it all. No one in the Cullen clan had ever really asked her from what I noticed, although she’s never seemed to express interest in becoming an immortal herself. I wondered if that were because anyone who gave her the time of day despised the life of a vampire, Rosalie Cullen and the superstitious Indians. How could anyone look at this girl and believe that she was meant to stay trapped in this existence? I frowned as I remembered her terrified screams that never left my thoughts; the life of a human was a very cruel one, but one that she would not stay trapped in. Although in such a short amount of time she had experienced more pain than she should have in this life, and even more was yet to come. The thought made me cringe. I knew it was necessary, but I hated that it _was_ necessary. I looked at the little sleeping goddess in my arms and became even more resolved; the pain she has and would still experience was an unfortunate price, but it would be worth it for her to have an eternity without having to ever know pain again. An unfortunate price that I wish I could pay for her, but the Fates never have been fair to mortals.


	34. Travel

_***Donna POV***_

When I woke up, the first thing that I noticed was that I felt warm. Even when Leah would lay next to me, I would still be cold and in some kind of pain, but I was neither in pain nor was I cold. The second thing I noticed was that I was not in the same clothes as when I went to sleep. I sat up and noticed that I wasn’t even in bed, I was in a very comfortable seat in an airplane. I sat up and looked around, but I didn’t see anyone else around. I was basically cocooned in a large blanket wearing black leggings and a long, purple sweater. I looked over at the seat next to me and there were two little clear cups on a tray; one had two blue gel capsules in it and the other was a glass of apple juice. At this point, there really wasn’t any point in not taking them. If anyone really wanted me dead, I’m sure they would want the pleasure of doing that themselves rather than making sure I’m comfortable and then watching me poison myself from an obscure location. Although I was relatively certain who had brought me here, and he definitely wouldn’t kill me with poison. Speaking of which, I didn’t see Felix anywhere. I moved the window shade, expecting to see an aerial view of Italy, and instead I see the sun setting behind the Eiffel Tower.

“France??” I asked in shock as I stared out the window in disbelief.

“Paris, to be exact.” Came a familiar voice behind me.

“Why are we in Paris?” I asked without turning. “How long was I asleep?” I asked as I realized that it was already evening.

“Paris is nine hours ahead of Forks. You were asleep for around ten hours.” Felix explained. “Have you ever been to Paris?”

“No.” Going with Bella and Alice to Italy was my first time out of the country. Ten hours didn’t seem long enough to make it from Washington to France. A connecting flight would take around 18 hours, even if the flights didn’t have any layovers, and even a non-stop flight from Seattle would take at least 11 hours, and that wasn’t even considering the time it would take to get to Seattle. “Where did we fly out from?” I looked over at Felix, he had also changed clothes.

“Vancouver.” He was trying not to smile at my expression, but he wasn’t succeeding. To be fair, I’m sure it was comical. How did we get from Forks, to Vancouver, to France all in a 10-hour time span? “We ran to Canada, and then flew to France.” He answered my unspoken question, but that didn’t really help that much. He would have had to make it to Vancouver within two hours, and then fly to France within 8 hours. I shook my head, there wasn’t really a point in questioning it.

“That still doesn’t answer my question about why we’re in France.” I was slightly surprised to find that I wasn’t angry with him like I had been last night; I was annoyed, but I wasn’t angry. I felt like I _should_ be angry, but I wasn’t, and I didn’t know why.

“Where else would we be going?” He asked with a smirk. I glared at him; he was being an ass. He knew very well what I meant.

“You seem to have a fondness for Italy, did that suddenly wear out?” I raised an eyebrow. There weren’t many ways to avoid such a direct question, but I’m sure he could find a way if for no other reason than to infuriate me.

“Far from it, but we can’t go back to Italy for the time being.” He answered casually as though I should already know this information.

“Why?” I frowned. It isn’t that I wanted to go to Italy, but why would he be taking me anywhere else? And, more importantly, why could he not return yet?

“That’s nothing for you to worry about right now.”

“Are you planning on taking me back home then?” I asked crossing my arms.

“No.” He looked confused by the question. “Why would I do that?”

“Then if you aren’t planning on taking me back in the foreseeable future there’s no reason you shouldn’t just tell me why we can’t go to our supposed final destination.” He chuckled, but I failed to see the joke.

“Wonderful effort, but no.” He walked towards the front of the plane. I tried another, more childish approach.

“I can just annoy you until you tell me.” I suggested.

“Please do, it would be very entertaining to see you try.” He seemed far too amused with the situation.

“Do you not believe that I can be annoying?” I thought about following him around and proving that assumption wrong.

“I believe that we have very different definitions of the word.” He smiled like he was enjoying some kind of inside joke. “You may want to stay seated; we’ll be landing soon.” He said as he disappeared behind a curtain near the front of the plane. I crossed my arms and glared out the small window of the plane. I knew I was being childish, but I couldn’t make myself care. It wasn’t like me to be so petty or have so many mood swings, or to let my emotions get the better of me. I’m sure it had something to do with being around Felix, but I wasn’t entirely sure what the exact reason was.

We didn’t land in the city itself, or even really close to it, but we were behind what appeared to be a large hill next to a large expansion of forest. It wasn’t like the forests back in Forks, it seemed more like a large garden surrounded by several trees. I suddenly understood why so many fairytales were based in Europe, the scenery was from the pages of a novel. I wandered into the woods to see just how deep they went; I wouldn’t have thought that Paris would have places like this with their large population. And yet this place seemed almost untouched by civilization, a beautiful preserved piece of nature. I assumed that we had landed so far from the city itself so that I wouldn’t have the chance to run off again; as Felix said, he wasn’t allowing for those kinds of mistakes this time. As I wandered a little further into the woods, I noticed a house that seemed to be in the thickest parts of the woods surrounded by large trees, almost a part of the trees themselves. Normally I wouldn’t go in a strange house for fear that someone lived there, but I had a feeling that this is where we were going to be staying. I walked inside and was taken aback by how homey it looked, like this was someone’s home and they were just out for the time being.

“Having fun?” Felix asked, suddenly materializing behind me.

“Who lives here?” I asked as I looked in the cabinets, they were fully stocked.

“No one. It’s upkept by the Guard for whenever it’s needed.” Hmm. Interesting. So, it was just stocked because I would be here, meaning the Volturi knew I was here. What did they want with me? I would have to make sure that I got at least some information out of Felix, though it would probably have to be in a round about way. How does one trick a vampire?

“How long will we be here?” I asked as I walked over to the long, winding wooden staircase on the other side of the kitchen.

“About two minutes.”

“What?” I looked at him in shock and he started laughing. Oh, he must have meant in the actual house. I rolled my eyes. “Stop being an ass.” I threw a plate at him, knowing he’d catch it. That just seemed to make him laugh harder.

“What a hostile response.” He said as he caught the plate, still chuckling at his own joke.

“What an oddly specific answer.” I shot back.

“That’s the time it takes to get to the city.” He shrugged as he responded.

“What? That’s impossible, you can’t even see the city from here.” He had to be joking.

“Oh? You don’t believe me?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No.” I said as I crossed my arms stubbornly. “I don’t believe you.” Felix smirked.

“You asked for it.”

“Asked for wha…eek!” Before I could finish my inquiry, we were already flying; by the time I had registered that we were out of the house, I already couldn’t see the forest.


	35. Paris

Paris was gorgeous. Although it was pretty dark by this point, it didn’t seem to be nighttime. The lights made everything so bright, and everyone was walking along the streets like this was the beginning of their workday. With so many people around, it surprised me that no one noticed Felix and I basically materialize out of thin air.

“A good thing about Europe,” Felix said as though he knew what I was thinking, “Is that almost everyone minds their own business.”

I couldn’t help but wonder why Felix would take me to such a populated city. Wouldn’t somewhere smaller be safer? Fewer witnesses if something were to go wrong? Fewer chances for me to slip away in a crowd? Fewer people to see me if it ever got around that I was missing in Washington? I knew that the chances of a missing girl from America making it all the way to France was a very slim chance, especially when it happened not to long ago and they would undoubtedly expect someone local, but if it were to be advertised anywhere internationally it would be in major cities. Like Paris. None of this really seemed to make sense, and one way or another I would find out why we couldn’t go to Italy.

“So where are we going?” I asked as we walked down the busy street. If I was going to trick him into telling me anything, I needed to start normal conversations first so he would be off his guard.

“Notre Dame.” He replied, not looking anywhere but ahead.

“Do you need to make a confession to a priest?” I raised an eyebrow; Felix chuckled. Progress.

“I think that’s a little inefficacious, don’t you think?” He raised an eyebrow looking down at me.

“Why would you say that?” Maybe he wasn’t a fan of Catholics. Odd, living in Volterra.

“Would you confess anything to a parakeet? In a serious sense, not an ironic one.” He asked. I thought about it for a minute, thinking over his comparison.

“No, but a priest isn’t a bird.” I countered. Felix chuckled again.

“Aren’t they?” I didn’t think he actually expected an answer, so I didn’t give one.

Notre Dame was breathtaking. It was so different from any of the pictures that I’ve ever seen, and none of the videos ever did it justice. Throughout the course of the evening, we visited various places; some of them were regular tourist sites, like famous Gothic cathedrals and even a couple of museums, but also a couple of odd sites that I wasn’t entirely sure why we were there. Places like an abandoned hospital, a couple of lakes and fountains, and a few abandoned houses. Although I wasn’t entirely sure why we were there, it was really cool to explore these places. Felix never really said anything and never indicated that he wanted to leave until I seemed like I was losing interest, and then we went to the next place. It wasn’t until we were at the third abandoned house that I realized where we were; we were visiting the main locations in my books. The houses that we were currently exploring were the exact same ones that the novel _Have Mercy on Us All_ was based off of. Even the museums, and Notre Dame, they were all the main locations of my books back at home that were based in Paris. Come to think of it, Paris was the place where we could visit the most locations from my books. Any other place either mostly had fictional locations, locations that had been torn down, or locations that were only open during the day. Was _this_ why he brought me to France? Just like the prom, this didn’t seem to serve any higher purpose. Before I could think about this for very long, I looked out the dusty windows and saw that the sky was starting to get lighter, we would have to head back soon.

“Are you ready to go to our last destination?” Felix asked, almost on cue.

“Where else are we going? The sun is coming up.” My eyebrows knitted together in confusion; did he want to get caught. Felix chuckled.

“That’s the point, _cara mia._ ” He said as he suddenly picked me up and we were flying again. When we stopped, I had half a mind to shove him in front of a metro; he really needed to start giving me a heads up when he decided we needed to take flight. All of these thoughts, however, left my mind when I realized where we were.

The first thing I saw was the sky. It was so beautiful, like being inside a Monet painting. The sky every shade of a sunset I’d ever seen, and even some that I hadn’t, some mixtures of colors were ones I hadn’t seen before anywhere. We were at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, and you could see how the light touched and reflected off of all of Paris. It took me a moment to realize that I wasn’t breathing; this was without a doubt the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen. Neither of us moved until the sun was almost visible in the sky. I suddenly realized that we wouldn’t have time to climb down before the sun became visible and reflected off of Felix’s skin.

“How are we going to get down?” I asked and immediately knew I wouldn’t like the answer.

“We’re going to jump.” He stated simply.

“No.” I said crossing my arms.

“No?” He said raising an eyebrow.

“No.” I uncrossed my arms just to grab on to a little rod that was on the side of the tower. He’s done a lot of crazy things, but we were _not_ going to jump from the Eiffel Tower. Nope. Not happening. I draw the line. Felix was smirking like he found my little attempt comical.

“Well, I suppose we won’t jump then.” He shrugged.

“Wait, really?” My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Felix chuckled.

“No.” And suddenly I was falling.


	36. Noticeable Changes

I was still clutching the piece of the tower in my hand when we hit the ground. This idiot! I knew from experience that vampires could easily make that jump, but that seemed extremely careless all the same and I did _not_ want that kind of adrenaline rush so early in the morning. Did it even count as early in the morning when you haven’t slept? It shouldn’t. We still had to walk to a less populated area of the city before we could run back to where we were staying in the woods. I was determined not to even look at him, and yet he thought my anger was comical. Although I didn’t look at him, I could hear him try and fail to cover a laugh with a cough every few minutes as though this were the funniest thing in the world. The streets were just as crowded as they were before, but the people as a whole seemed to be grouchier than the people who had been out last night, I guess it was a universal phenomena to hate getting up for work in the mornings. The streets seemed to be busier with buses and public transport than last night as well, as opposed to the personal cars and bikes that filled the streets just a few hours ago. I decided to break my internal promise and look at Felix, but he looked just as bemused as before. I would have thought that being around so many humans would trigger his bloodlust, as it always seemed to with Jasper, but he hardly seemed to notice we were around humans at all.

People were muttering what sounded like complaints in French all around us, when suddenly Felix went from looking amused to looking infuriated. I had never seen him look so angry, and for a moment I thought that he was angry at me. What happened next happened so quickly that if I had not already been watching Felix, I would have missed it. A man passing by us muttered some kind of complaint in French, and before he was even finished with whatever it was he was saying, Felix’s arm shot out and grabbed him around the throat, throwing him in front of an oncoming bus. The bus immediately stopped, and some of the surrounding people gasped and a few screamed as they looked at the remains on the road. I looked back behind us in shock, since Felix had never stopped walking, and although he was crushed and mutilated by the bus I could tell that the odd angle his neck had landed was not caused by the vehicle that ran him over. Since no one stopped us, I assume that everyone thought he had tripped at the wrong moment. Felix took advantage of the situation and picked me up and ran all the way back to the house in the woods. When he put me down inside the house, he almost immediately disappeared back outside. I was still in shock over what I had just seen, why would he kill that man? He not only killed him, but he tossed him in front of a bus to be mutilated. His blood was all over the street, and yet Felix didn’t waver in his anger at all. Did we miscalculate the sunlight and the man saw something that would have exposed Felix? And what made him so angry that he left me here alone, where I could just leave? I wouldn’t, of course. Where would I go? I couldn’t make it back to the city, and even if I did there was no guarantee I would find help there, or even a way to contact anyone. I hadn’t noticed it before this moment, but as my stomach growled, I realized that I was both starving and exhausted. It felt wrong to eat when I had just watched a man die in front of me, but I hadn’t even eaten the day of the prom. Considering how long it’s been it seemed very odd for me not to have been hungry before now. It was probably just because I had a lot of other things on my mind.

It was beginning to worry me how things were starting to affect me, or rather not affect me. I wasn’t as sorry for the dead man as I feel I should be. Was it because I didn’t know him? Because compared to recent events, a death didn’t shock me anymore? I wasn’t sure what it was, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to become some kind of calloused person who didn’t care when people died. I thought it was sad, of course, but I didn’t really feel the kind of sympathy I think that I should have. Upstairs, I found a cute little bedroom with an adjoining bathroom, with clothes and everything I would need already there. I took a shower as I contemplated the other things that were seeming off recently. The entire time that we were out, I wasn’t tired at all until now. Perhaps that was just because I had slept so long on the plane, and we were busy all night walking through such a gorgeous city. That seemed like a reasonable explanation. Even more strange, I wasn’t hungry at all until now either. However, that may be able to be explained away because I was drugged, and I had no idea what it was that I was given, either the night at the prom or when I woke up on the plane. There could have been something in it that just curbed my appetite, and once again I had many other things on my mind, I just might not have noticed that I was hungry. That also seemed like a reasonable explanation. But I knew that no matter how reasonable those were, they were not the _correct_ explanation. I frowned as I realized the most noticeable change; I placed my hand on my stomach and realized for the first time since waking up on the plane that I was beginning to get cold. For the first time since I woke up on the plane, my stomach felt cold and hard to the touch. No matter what else was going on, I knew that I would have noticed this. Ever since that horrible weekend in Port Angeles, I have been freezing. No matter how much time passed, I always noticed it. And yet, when I woke up on the plane it was gone, and now it was returning. There had to be a reason for it, but I had no idea what it was. I turned off the hot water and dressed in warm pjs that were in the drawer. They were very soft fleece, and very warm, which was odd considering the climate of France. I didn’t question it, I just went downstairs and hoped that there was ingredients for pancakes.

I had made food, eaten, and cleaned up the kitchen and Felix still wasn’t back. I had the feeling that whatever it was that made him mad, it made him mad enough that he didn’t want to be around me until he cooled off, which he obviously hadn’t yet. I wasn’t entirely sure why, since he’s hurt me before, but I would have to find that answer to that at a later time. I was so exhausted I could hardly keep my eyes open. I made my way upstairs and curled up in the large, soft bed that was decorated in dark purple and fell asleep before I could even think of shutting the curtains from the sun.


	37. Time

_***Felix POV***_

It was late afternoon before I was calm enough to return to the house. Hopefully, she wasn’t careless and tried to do something stupid like go to the city on her own. I already knew that she would still be there where I left her, but it was still irresponsible of me to leave her there on her own. Countless things could have happened from her injuring herself in a variety of ways to some person or animal stumbling upon the house and causing some kind of havoc. Humans truly were unbelievably fragile, have they always been this way? I don’t remember being so breakable when I was a mortal, but if it’s avoidable I try not to remember that time at all. Perhaps it was simply from living in this life for so long, or that I never cared enough about mortal fragility to pay attention. And yet now, it seemed blatantly obvious. As I made it back into the house, I could tell from the lingering smell that she had been cooking. I frowned as the realization hit me. Fuck. I had completely forgotten to feed her. Yet another part of human fragility I only recently started paying attention to, how often they need to eat. I made my way up the stairs to check on her, I knew that she was fine; I could hear her steady heartbeat and even breathing, but I still needed to see it for myself to make sure. Of course, she was sleeping. I had also forgotten how often humans needed to rest. Physical tiredness isn’t something that I’ve had to deal with for centuries, but in recent months this girl has been extremely mentally draining.

I closed the curtains so that the sun wouldn’t wake her up and covered her up more with the blanket. She looked so peaceful when she slept, I could understand why Edward Cullen would sneak into their house and watch Isabella sleep at night. At the time, Demetri and I would joke about what how odd the behavior was but seeing her now I could understand what drove him to do it. I lightly brushed her blonde hair out of her face; she was so warm, I worried for a moment if the blanket were too much heat for her, but then she started shivering. I checked the window to make sure it was closed before I noticed her curling around her stomach in her sleep. Ah, the venom. That was the cause of the issue. I was sure that there had to be more blankets somewhere, even if I had to go into the city to get some. It took a few minutes, but I finally found another fleece blanket in a closet off of the living room. Yet another thing I had never cared to notice; how Charmion arranges these houses I used to think of as pointless. By the time I got back into the bedroom, she didn’t seem to be shivering anymore, but I still covered her up just to be sure. I stayed there for a moment watching her sleep, and again I was reminded of how comical it was when she tried to give me the silent treatment. The look on her face when I jumped was so priceless, it was worth every moment of her anger. It was always so hilarious when she tried to be intimidating; she was so small and fragile, almost anything could break her. If she breathed the wrong kind of air, got too hot or cold, didn’t eat soon enough, or even ran into a very dedicated duck. So many things could take her from this world. Human or non-human, the possibilities were almost endless. I frowned as I remembered a specific human who was no longer on that list.

_“_ _Pute étrangère_ _”_ were the only words he was able to choke out before I ended his life, but they were enough to make me angry. The way he was looking at her before he opened his mouth already had him on thin ice, but the words “foreign whore” ultimately sealed his fate. Unfortunately, that was the only death available that could be explained away as an accident with such short notice. Nevertheless, that was no excuse for the other things I had been forgetting. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t just say that she was hungry or tired, or maybe she had insinuated it and I just wasn’t paying attention? I suppose it was rather hubristic and deflectory to expect her to just tell me these things, I did just recently kidnap her and take her out of the country. I’m sure she would be even angrier if she knew the reason no one would be looking for her, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. I would have to pay better attention and start making sure that she was eating and sleeping, it wasn’t fair to try and blame her for not saying anything when it’s my responsibility to notice these things. I would do better. At the risk of adopting the toxic traits of Edward Cullen, I pulled myself away and went downstairs.

She seemed to like it here, hopefully that would last throughout the entirety of our stay. I wondered if she would learn to like Italy just as well, although she didn’t seem overly impressed the last time she was there. To be fair, she spent most of that time either underground or unconscious. As I searched through the kitchen for anything useful Charmion would have left, I began to wonder whether Aro was correct in his theory. Before all of this started, I was just as confident as he was that everything would happen just as he said it would. But, now that it’s here, I’m not so sure. Doubting Aro was not a familiar habit of mine, and he knew more about humans that possibly any other mortal or immortal there was, but so far, he’s had to adjust his assessments twice. I’ve never seen him waver in his own plans so many times in such a short period of time, he was usually so certain, and everything happened exactly as he said it would. I didn’t fault Aro for this, of course, she was something special that confounds us all. But it did make me worry that perhaps she was too abnormal- no, that wasn’t the right word. Confounding? No, unique. Yes, that perhaps she was too unique for things to work as he’s foreseen. There was little use dwelling on it, at this point it was too late to turn back and only time would determine the outcome. And, fortunately, if there was something that I had plenty of, it was time.


	38. Questions

_***Donna POV***_

When I woke up, I was warm once again. The coldness that I had fallen asleep to was gone as though it had never been, and I was feeling very awake and alert, like I hadn’t needed sleep in the first place. A familiar feeling of dread crept over me that I had not felt in many months; the feeling that I was being watched. I instinctively knew it wasn’t Felix this time, this felt…different. I opened the window and was almost certain that I saw a shadow move, but as soon as I was sure that I had seen something it was gone. I shook my head, it was already getting dark outside, it was probably just the light playing tricks on my eyes. When I went downstairs, I was surprised to see so much food on the table, some of it I wasn’t even really sure what it was. Some of it had vague resemblances of food I knew, but it was off.

“Are you trying to eat human food now?” I asked, knowing he would hear me wherever he was.

“Obviously, I made it for me and not the literal only creature here who could consume it.” Felix said as he materialized from thin air behind me.

“What even is this?” I asked as I grabbed a bowl full of what looked like purple pudding. Felix rolled his eyes, but he was smiling so I guess he found it funny all the same.

“You need more nutrition since I starved you yesterday. Please just eat it.”

“Hmm. No, I don’t think I will.” I said as I set down the bowl. Felix frowned.

“What?” I crossed my arms and looked at him.

“No. You don’t do what I want, so I’m not going to do what you want.” Odd, since we were discussing my own health. But I really wasn’t hungry anyway, so it wasn’t a huge sacrifice. This was the first time that I could hold something hostage to get some answers.

“But you need to eat, you can be stubborn some other time.” I just stared at him, not moving at all. After a moment he sighed. “Alright, what is it that you want?”

“I want you to stop avoiding my questions.” A simple enough demand, but I knew that he would find some way to avoid it. Or at least try to.

“I don’t avoid them; I just don’t give you the answers that you’re looking for. There’s a difference, _piccolina._ ”

“Well, if you want me to eat then you’ll give me straight answers. Deal?” I raised an eyebrow and held out my hand. Felix studied me for a moment, as if deciding whether or not he should just force feed me. Ha. I’d like to see him try. After a moment he finally shook my hand.

“Deal. But I may not answer all of them.” He said.

“You can choose not to answer three.” I thought that was rather generous.

“Fine, but you only get answers to 5 questions.” He countered.

“Deal.” I could handle that; I honestly didn’t expect him to agree to any at all. I sat down and grabbed the bowl of purple pudding. I took a bite and was actually surprised, it was delicious. Almost like a very smooth fruit sherbet. “Why are we in Paris? Aside from the locations of my novels.” Felix smiled.

“Next.” I glared at him. I thought of another question that was important right now, that he would most likely answer.

“You seem really confident that no one will find us here, why?” Felix frowned slightly at that question.

“Because no one will find us here.”

“And how can you be so certain? Also, no, before you say anything, that isn’t another question.” I took another bite from the bowl.

“Because they aren’t looking.” He responded simply.

“Why aren’t they looking?” It was my turn to frown. Why wouldn’t they be looking for me?

“Next.”

“How long will we be staying here?” That seemed like a safe question.

“About a week, maybe a little longer. But it should be no more than two weeks at most.” He seemed a bit uncertain about the time limit himself. Why would he not know how long he would be keeping me here?

“When you were first in Forks, when I saw you, why were you there in the first place?” I had been wondering that for a long time.

“James’ coven, ironically. They were causing too much trouble and drawing attention, we went there to handle the issue.” Felix smiled. “Carlisle’s creations handled that one for us, in the end.”

“Why did you stay after the coven was ‘handled’?” I knew I saw him after the Cullens had gotten involved.

“Next.”

“That’s your last skip.” I warned him.

“I’m aware. And you only have two more questions.” He countered.

“What will happen when we get to Italy? What is the planned course of action?” Ha. Now he was out of skips. Felix frowned.

“Next.”

“Nuh uh, you’re out of skips remember? Either answer it or answer one if the other ones you skipped in its place.” I set the empty bowl aside. He seemed to be deep in thought, so I grabbed a little plate that had weird little squares on them. It kind of looked like squares of cheesecake with very thin spaghetti on it and some kind of jam. I took a bite; it was very sweet. The little spaghetti things were crunchy, and the jam tasted like raspberries, it was delicious. I took a drink of apple juice, still waiting on his reply.

“They aren’t looking for you, because they believe you to be dead.” Felix said, spinning my little piece of the Eiffal Tower on the table like a top. I choked on my drink.

“What?!” I asked as I looked at him incredulously. They were vampires, how could he fool them into thinking I was dead? Surely, they would know better. “How? Why?” I could have continued, but he looked like he was about to say something.

“There was a bit of an explosion. The body was unidentifiable but had some of your belongings you were wearing that night. There was a girl of your approximate height and weight in Rosalie Cullen’s car, wearing your earrings and a bracelet, and it crashed into a gas station and the entire establishment exploded. Not even enough for dental recognition.” He continued to focus on the spinning object as I reached up and touched the earrings in my ears. I knew that I was wearing a different pair but considering that Felix had given me jewelry before I hadn’t thought anything of it. I sat there stunned. I hadn’t thought that he has actually faked my death. I couldn’t imagine the pain that everyone was going through, when in reality I was perfectly fine. My dad must be crushed, I couldn’t imagine what my mom was going though. The Quileutes probably thought that one of the Cullen’s had killed me, and I couldn’t even imagine how infuriated Rosalie would be at her siblings that no one had watched me that night.

“You didn’t need to go to that extreme.” I said numbly.

“Yes, I did.” He grabbed the spinning piece, halting its movement. “But you wouldn’t understand the reason right now.” He looked at me and seemed oddly sorry and sympathetic. That sent a pang of pain through my chest. I wanted to feel angry, but I suddenly felt very, very tired. I silently got up and walked back towards the stairs. Halfway up the staircase, I vaguely heard Felix talking to someone, although I knew that no one else was in the house. I was too tired to think of what was going on in his mind that he was talking to himself, I don’t even remember making it to bed before I felt myself falling into a black abyss.


	39. Just a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sexual content in this chapter.

_When I opened my eyes, I could immediately tell that I was dreaming. But it seemed different than a regular dream. It felt completely real, but I also felt like I wasn’t in control at all. Like I was just seeing something through someone else’s eyes, but I knew that couldn’t be true. I registered that I was in a black negligee, and I had a feeling that this was not something that I typically wore, but at the moment I couldn’t remember. The bed that I was laying on seemed harder than I remembered, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was very smooth, and soft, and very, very cold. I realized suddenly that I wasn’t laying directly on a bed, but I was laying on Felix. I smiled, and he smiled back at me. Something in the back of my mind told me that this was wrong, that Felix should not be shirtless in my bed, and that I should not be half undressed curled up on top of him. But at the same time, it felt like this was exactly what should be happening. Some part of me insisted that I should be angry at Felix, but I couldn’t remember why. Some very soft whisper seemed to come from somewhere else in the room, and I felt much happier and at peace and any feelings that this situation was wrong immediately disappeared._

_Felix reached out and gently stroked my face, and it felt like the most loving gesture I had ever experienced. I looked into his eyes, and I noticed that something was different about them. They were almost clouded, and had a far away look in them, like he wasn’t presently here with me in his mind. As I looked deeper in his eyes, I could see my own reflected back in them, and noted with mild alarm that I looked the exact same way. I heard another whisper, and those thoughts left my mind as a feeling flooded my entire being that I didn’t fully understand at first. It was happiness, but also overwhelming. It was adoration, and I wanted to get closer to Felix and yet I knew that no proximity would be close enough. It was desperation, knowing that nothing else mattered but that he stayed with me and didn’t leave, and it was so many other feelings that I didn’t understand; so many things flooded my being at one time, it took me a moment to many any sense of it at all. Unexpectedly, I realized what it was, and everything seemed to make sense. I was overwhelmed because I loved him. Some part of my mind tried to argue that this did not make sense at all, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come._

_“Aren’t you angry with me, cara mia?” Felix asked. I was confused by his question. Why would I be mad? I loved him, nothing else mattered._

_“There’s no reason for me to be angry.” I said, but although it was me who said it, I did not purposefully make that action. I reached up and stroked his face for a moment, taking in once more how completely beautifully terrifying he was. I leaned up and placed my lips over his, and all thoughts left my mind. He reached around and placed one hand on my lower back and the other he entangled in my hair, pulling us closer and deepening the kiss. Felix flipped us over so that he was laying on top of me, careful not to crush me._

_“Felix, do you love me?” I asked when he pulled away to kiss the rest of my face._

_“Of course I do, cara mia.” He assured as he kissed along my jawline down to my neck. He was muttering things in other languages, only one phrase of which I recognized. ‘_ _Sei il tesoro del mio cuore’, which means ‘you are the treasure of my heart’. I reached down and slipped off what little clothing I was wearing and tossed it carelessly across the room. The proximity of his cold temperature immediately made my nipples harden, and the coldness I felt when he latched on and started sucking on my right nipple almost drove me crazy. He reached down between my legs and started playing with my clit, and immediately every nerve ending in my body was alive. It was odd how everything could feel so real in a dream, and that I could feel anything at all when all of the actions were not my own. All of these thoughts vanished as one of his fingers entered me, with a second following soon after. I vaguely registered him switching from one nipple to the other, when I realized that his fingers weren’t satisfying me. Suddenly, I was on top of him, although it was as though someone else were controlling me and I was_ _just along for the ride. I was suddenly grasping Felix’s large member in my hand as I guided it into myself until he was completely sheathed inside me. Part of my brain registered that I should be in extreme pain right now, but all I felt was pleasure. I once again heard the strange whispering from before, and suddenly that rational part of my brain went quiet. Felix flipped us over and once again pulled me into a kiss as my brain was filled with a familiar fog that banished all rational thought. Felix thrust into me with such inhuman speed I was sure that he was going to break the bed. It didn’t take long for me to build up an orgasm, and from Felix’s ragged breathing I knew that he wasn’t far away either. Felix slowed just as I went over the edge and every thrust triggered a smaller orgasm that kept prolonging itself. It peeked as I felt a familiar, cold liquid fill my insides. Felix sat up and pulled me into his lap, cradling me like a child._

_“I will always love you.” He said as he kissed my forehead. “I will treasure you forever, and it will never again be a choice between loyalty and you.” He kissed both my cheeks and then down my jaw gently. “It will always be you. Always.” Before I could think about what he meant, he cradled my face in both of his hands and leaned down kissing me once more and all thoughts left my mind. It really wasn’t fair, that anyone could have such an advantage. That in a simple action, they could make my mind go completely blank._

_“And I will always want to be with you. Forever.” I assured him as I leaned against his chest, curling into his embrace. Felix laid down, holding me close against his chest and stroking my hair soothingly._

_“Sleep, my little goddess.” I closed my eyes and was once again surrounded by blackness._

_************************************************************************************************************************************_

I quickly sat up in bed to the sound of an unfamiliar male voice. I looked around, half panicked, but everything was silent and the room was empty. I looked around the room, and everything was exactly as it was before, aside from the fact that I didn’t remember actually making it to bed. I felt my clothes before I looked and sighed with relief. Warm pjs, no weird black negligee. I looked towards the window and could see the sun outside. Good, I didn’t want to get up; I was exhausted. I was more tired than I ever remembered being. What a strange dream that was, I don’t remember ever having one like it before. Oh well, a lot of strange things were happening these days. I yawned and curled up in bed, burying myself under the covers, already feeling myself get pulled towards slumber. I briefly worried if that dream meant I was losing my mind or something, it didn't make any sense that I would have a dream like that. As I thought about it, the dream itself didn't even make sense at all. The ludicrous fact that I dreamt it all aside, the words seemed like someone was reading a cheap romance novel rather than what would actually be said, and some of the...actions seemed just odd and out of place. Nothing about it seemed right, but I quickly dismissed the issue. I was too tired to think about it. And it was, after all, just a dream.


	40. A Visitor

When I woke up, I felt strange. I felt stiff, like I had slept really hard in the wrong position. I opened the curtains and the sun was up again, it seemed to be mid-morning; that was odd. I must have slept through the rest of the day, the night, and through most of the morning. I hadn’t slept so long since before we came to Forks. Usually Felix wakes me up and we go see the city after the sun goes down, it’s a little odd that he didn’t wake me. I took a shower to try and wake up and work out some of the stiffness, and it helped a lot. I went downstairs and looked through the house, but Felix wasn’t there at all. He was probably just out hunting or something, I haven’t seen him feed since we got here. Speaking of feeding, I was starving. I went back to the kitchen and made some pancakes. After I had eaten and cleaned the kitchen, I mixed some M&Ms inside a jar of peanut butter and went for a walk outside. It was a beautiful day, the flowers were gorgeous, and the animals didn’t seem to be afraid of people, or vampires for that matter. As I walked deeper into the woods, I wondered if any authors had ever visited this place, or at least someplace like it. If I were going to write a novel based in France, this was exactly where I would go. So beautiful and peaceful, but close enough to the city I could go there for inspiration. I found an old swing on top of a hill and sat down in it, and from here you could see the beautiful valley that separated us from the city of Paris, but you could also see a decent portion of the city as well. This would be the perfect place to paint a landscape. I stayed in the swing for a while, wondering about what I should do about my current situation. I didn’t see much of a choice aside from just playing along until an opportunity presented itself. Maybe, if Felix thought that I was apathetic about the situation he would let his guard down and I would get the chance to call Rosalie and let her know that I’m alive.

I imagined what that would mean for Felix, whether that would get him in trouble with Aro. I took a bite of peanut butter and sucked on the spoon as I contemplated that dilemma. I wonder what kept him in the Volturi Guard in the first place; it didn’t really seem overly appealing to me. Maybe I could get him to leave so that Aro wouldn’t be able to punish him for me escaping. But if that did happen, would that mean certain death for everyone involved? I wasn’t sure what it was that made the Guard so loyal to Aro, Felix didn’t seem the type to follow him out of his quest for power. Besides, it wasn’t really the goal everyone seemed loyal to, but Aro himself, and I couldn’t understand why. Maybe Felix could explain it to me if I could get him to talk about it. If I could understand the situation better, maybe I could find what would convince him to leave so that he wouldn’t get hurt if I went back home. I smiled a little to myself; I shouldn’t really care whether or not my kidnapper got in trouble if I escaped. But there was something about him, something that makes me believe that his motives aren’t really what I initially believed them to be. Maybe it was just the odd dream I had, but if I thought about it in the sense that he _cared_ about me, that explained at least part of his behavior. I thought for a brief moment that maybe that would be enough to convince him to leave the Volturi Guard, but I knew instantly that was a false hope. I didn’t know how much he cared, and it was foolish to believe that any feelings for a human could compel a vampire to dislodge loyalties that they’ve held for centuries.

As I looked up at the sky, I noticed that the sun was setting. I also noticed that I was out of peanut butter, I hadn’t realized that I’d eaten the whole jar. Felix was sure to be back by now, and I didn’t want him killing half of Paris trying to find me. I made my way back to the house, but it was still empty; Felix wasn’t back yet. I went upstairs and grabbed one of the fleece blankets from my bed and went back downstairs, I might as well entertain myself until he got back from wherever he was; it had been a while since I had taken the time to sit down and watch a movie. An hour later, I was deeply involved in _Pride and Prejudice_ as well as a large bowl of cookie dough and a bag of popcorn before I heard movement outside. I thought it was Felix, so I didn’t really think anything about it, but he never came inside. I kept having this feeling that someone was behind me, but anytime I looked there was nothing there. After the movie, I turned off the TV and wrapped the blanket around myself and searched the house, but there was nothing there. That was when I heard the couch move. It was ever so slight, as though someone had just gotten off of it who had been sitting down. When I took my next breath, my entire being froze. I could smell something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. It was so faint I’m surprised I registered it at all, but it seemed familiar but strange at the same time. It was like smelling flowers in a room, but knowing it was a kind you had never encountered before.

I looked over to my left and saw Felix’s jacket that he usually wore when we went out into the city; I wasn’t sure why I grabbed it, but something told me that I would need it. As soon as the jacket was in my hands, I bolted up the stairs faster than I thought I could move and jumped out the window. I caught myself on a tree outside and let myself drop to the ground. I could hear faint movement inside and knew that I needed to move. Before I even registered what I was doing, I was running out of the woods and towards the city. I was running faster than I ever had in my life, I never knew I _could_ run so fast, but I suppose adrenaline did strange things to you. Before long, I couldn’t hear anything else anymore but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still being pursued. I didn’t dare look behind me, I simply kept focusing in front of me as the lights of Paris got closer and closer.


	41. Fears

_***Felix POV***_

I was going to kill him. Ash had read his last romance novel, today was the day that idiot got decapitated. I was halfway to India before I snapped out of his little phantasmagoria; he’d better have a good reason for being here, and he’d better be able to talk while taking a beating. I couldn’t actually end his existence, he was my brother and Aro would be furious, but I could mentally scar him for the next century. I hope nothing too drastic happened while I was gone; a thousand things could have gone wrong. For all I know, Belladonna could have gotten eaten by a bear. Unlikely, I know, but alone in that house anything could have happened. She could have wandered out, someone could have come across the house and hurt her, she could have tripped and fallen and hit her head, she could have fallen asleep while taking a bath, any number of horrible things could have happened. I frowned as I realized that if something did happen, no amount of hurting Asher would reverse that. I ran as fast as I could, but I still didn’t get close to Paris until after the sun was up. I stopped in my tracks when I caught her scent heading towards the city. I frowned; why would she be running to the city without me? There was plenty of food there for her, and it’s too far for her to reasonably walk there on her own without me. If she went to the city by herself, something must have happened. Panic flooded my system as I raced towards the city of Paris. The sun reflected off my skin and I was forced to take a very long way around staying near the trees so I would be hidden in the shade. Never in all of my existence have I despised being a vampire more than I did right now; the very secret I executed others for breaking was keeping me from taking the fastest route to the city to find her.

After what seemed like an eternity, I made it into the city and stayed in the alleyways. Should I check the hospitals first? No, she wouldn’t go there, but where would she go? I once again cursed the sun for my limited ability for movement; I would likely never find her in a city this size having to stay in the shadows. My eyes widened as another horrid possibility entered my thoughts; I had been so concerned over what could have happened to her _outside_ the city, I hadn’t even begun to consider the horrors that she could have encountered once she was in it. The memory of the cretin calling her a foreign whore entered my thoughts, and I knew that there were more of his kind out there who wouldn’t hesitate to harm a young, scared, beautiful foreign girl like her. The risk was too much, I couldn’t stay in the shadows knowing that possibility. Even though it meant breaking the law I upheld, I had to find her; hopefully before something else did. Just as I was about to run out into the streets and seal my inevitable execution date, the gods smiled down on me and it started to rain. I didn’t have time to be relieved or grateful to the cosmos for this gift, I just immediately made use of it.

It took me several minutes to pick up on her scent once more, but once I had it wasn’t hard to track her movements. I tracked her to a hotel and was immediately flooded with relief when I located her heartbeat. It seemed so odd that I could distinguish the rhythm of her heart amongst so many others even in this singular building, but I knew at once that it was hers. I started moving at human speed to the entrance when I heard her once more, but this time it was a sob. She sounded like she was in pain. There was no time for such time-consuming facades; I went around the building and climbed the wall, effortlessly locating the window of the room that her uneven breathing was coming from. I hadn’t even climbed in the window, when something large and wooden shattered across my face and nearly made me fall out of sheer surprise.

“What the hell?!” I said as I nearly fumbled in the window.

“Felix?!” Donna exclaimed, surprise lighting her face. Dread flooded me as I took in her appearance; she looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks, despite me being gone barely two days. Her eyes had large dark circles around them and she looked unhealthily pale, like she was sick; she also looked thinner than when I had seen her just a few days ago, what on earth had happened to her while I was gone? Before I could ask her, she ran over and hugged me tightly as I heard a sob. That sound broke my heart; whoever had done this to her was going to die a very painful death.

_***Donna POV***_

“Where the fuck have you been?” I choked out as I clung to him for dear life. I had been terrified since I got here last night. Every single noise outside I thought it was the person at the house who had found me.

“ _Cara mia,_ what happened?” Felix wrapped his arms around me carefully, as though he were worried I would break. It probably seemed like I would, I was shaking and crying like I had had a near death experience. In a way I had; when I heard someone coming through the window I was sure that it was whoever was at the house. “Are you hurt?” He asked, trying to coax out an answer. I shook my head and sobbed in relief. I couldn’t escape the feeling of dread and terror the entire time that I was in this room, and now that he was here it had all gone away. Considering how many times I’ve been hunted; it isn’t rational that I should have such a strong reaction to some stranger breaking into a house I didn’t even live in. But it had. I thought I would go insane before Felix found me, and a new wave of terror hit each time I had thought that maybe he would never find me at all.

“Shh, it’s alright _piccolina_. You’re safe now, nothing will happen.” Felix said as he stroked my hair. He picked me up, probably concerned by my shaking that my legs would give out, which he wasn’t wrong.

“There was a someone in the house.” I managed to choke out between sobs, finally starting to calm down.

“In the house? Where?” He asked, starting to look angry.

“I heard noises, but I thought it was you.” I tried to explain while simultaneously trying to calm down, it wasn’t working out very well. “And then I heard them in the living room, and they chased me.” I started feeling sick at the very memory of it.

“Did they chase you out of the house?” He asked, trying to gather information. I nodded.

“I jumped out the window, but I know they chased me at least part way. I don’t know for how long.” I launched myself from Felix’s arms and ran into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time. I had been puking a lot since I got here, probably because I was so terrified. Felix walked over and held my hair, taking in the room. It was probably a mess. I had ordered delivery from a couple restaurants because I was so hungry, and got some groceries delivered so that I could make cookie dough, and everything was mostly strung around the tables of the room. Felix looked very concerned, and I’m sure he had a million questions, but after I was done puking, I was exhausted.

“Why don’t you take a shower and then get some rest? You look like you need it.” I knew he was right, but I was worried that if he left the room he might disappear again. I knew that was ridiculous, I was acting just like my sister. I needed to get a grip. I nodded and Felix left so I could shower, and when I was done there were fresh clothes on the sink. I did feel much better, although I was still very tired. I got dressed and brushed through my hair before going into the room, all of the trash was gone and even the chair that I broke was replaced. Felix picked me up and wrapped me in the fleece blanket I had brought with me before laying me under the covers. It struck me at how odd it was that Felix actually made me feel safe when at one point he seemed like the most unsafe person on the planet. The irony of it all made me smile a little. I sunk deeper under the covers and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	42. The Nudge

I didn’t end up sleeping for long, I woke up and made it to the toilet just in time to lose the rest of the cookie dough and sushi I had eaten earlier. As I rinsed out my mouth, I realized that I looked even paler than before. I was an unhealthy, chalky pale with large dark circles under my eyes. I guess what happened yesterday really took a toll on me, hopefully there weren’t any long-term effects. Thankfully, it was still June so maybe some time in the sun would help my complexion as well. I stayed in the bathroom for a moment cradling my ailing stomach. I felt swollen from all the food I had been eating, only to throw it back up. All of the recent events were finally catching up to me, and I was suffering for it. I walked over and grabbed another bowl of cookie dough that I had made and stored in the fridge and took a bite. Almost immediately, I was back in the bathroom where it made its second appearance. Felix came back into the room this time, holding my hair.

“Do you think you caught something?” Felix asked with worried eyes.

“I think it’s just the scare from earlier still working its way out of my system.” I said as I dry heaved once more and then rinsed my mouth.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of him.” Felix frowned. His eyes were nearly black and looked murderous, I suppose he hadn’t been out hunting after all.

“Him? You know who it was?” I asked in surprise.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Felix said. “He’s another member of the Guard, although I have no idea what he’s doing here, and he’d better have a good explanation. You should probably stay here while I go deal with him.”

“No!” I quickly protested. I wasn’t about to be left alone again. I wasn’t sure why, but the thought filled me with sudden panic, and I felt a dull, throbbing stab in my stomach. “I want to go too.”

“ _Cara mia,_ it would be safer if you stayed here.” I could tell from the look on his face that it was probably going to be a physical dispute, and he was probably worried about the effect it would have on me. Especially considering my current state, it probably would be both smarter and safer if I stayed here, but I didn’t care. I felt more dull throbbing stabs in my stomach as I shook my head.

“I’ll stay out of the way. I’m not staying here. If you leave without me, I’ll walk by myself.” I insisted. I knew that would get him. He sighed, knowing he’d lost the argument. I grabbed my fleece blanket in preparation.

“Alright, but you’ll be staying a safe distance away.” Suddenly he picked me up and we were flying once again. Back at the house in the woods, as we got closer, I could hear something inside.

“Is that…Jane Eyre?” I asked in confusion as Felix set me down.

“Probably. Asher has an unfortunate obsession.” He said as he walked inside. I wrapped my blanket around myself and followed. Inside, Jane Eyre was playing on the television and there was a tall, handsome vampire on the couch hugging a pillow and quoting the lines of the movie. He was so invested I don’t even think he knew we were here. He had thick, dark curly hair that touched his shoulders, and a handsome face that vaguely reminded me of pictures my mom once showed me of a young Johnny Depp. Felix walked over and stood right behind him, and he still didn’t notice.

“I offer you my hand, my heart. Jane, I ask you to pass through life at my side. You are my equal and my likeness. Will you…ah!!” Asher broke off his lines in surprise as Felix grabbed him by his hair and yanked him over the couch, holding him by his hair off the ground. Although on the couch Asher looked tall and well built, next to Felix he looked pretty small. I almost felt sorry for him, Felix’s glare was murderous. “Felix!” He smiled enthusiastically. “Back so soon? I didn’t think you’d be back yet.” He sounded enthusiastic, but I could hear some nervousness in his voice.

“Asher. You have three seconds to explain why you’re here before you start losing body parts.” Felix said darkly.

“Now Felix let’s not be hasty, why are you in such a bad mood? You look like you haven’t fed in…ah!” Asher made some other kind of sound, but I couldn’t hear what it was, all other noise was cut off by the sound of Felix ripping off Asher’s arm. It sounded like two slabs of marble grating against each other, combined with a room full of glass shattering. I covered my ears as I felt dull throbs of pain in my stomach once more.

“Felix that was my good arm! Shouldn’t you be in a good mood considering the girl is-” Once again, Asher was cut off with that horrid sound, but this time he lost one of his legs. The dull stabbing pain got worse, and I hugged my stomach to try and ease it.

“You shouldn’t be here in the first place! You scared her half to death!” Felix said as he grabbed him around his throat, ready to rip off his head. That’s when I felt it, a little nudge against my arm. And then another. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion as I placed my hands over my stomach. Two more nudges. My eyes went wide.

“Felix…” I said, frozen in place. Felix frowned.

“What is it? Are you alright?” Felix looked at my hands over my stomach. “Are you feeling ill again? Maybe you should go upstairs and lay down.”

“Felix. No.” I grabbed his hand and placed it on my stomach as I felt another nudge, followed by three more. Felix’s face contorted in confusion for a moment, and then in surprise and horror as the realization hit him. There was one more nudge as Felix dropped Asher onto the floor.


	43. Complications

Felix looked like his heart had stopped beating. I knew that his heart had been still for who knows how long, but the complete shock and horror on his face looked like he had died all over again. He looked up at me and I could see my own confused, terrified eyes reflected in his. Another nudge hit his hand as his face turned from shock to complete hatred. At first, I was worried that he was angry with me, but as soon as Ash had reassembled himself and stood up Felix grabbed him by the throat and threw him completely through the wall of the house. The noise was horrible, and before the loud echo had even stopped, Felix had disappeared. I ran through the hole in the house to the outside just in time to see Felix punching Asher, and Asher disappearing into a crater in the ground with another loud echo that sounded like an explosion. I watched in shock, helpless to do anything but keep my hands on my stomach and tiny little nudges kept hitting my hand. How had this happened? Surely not from Port Angeles, too much time has passed since then. But when? Felix had been just as shocked as I was, so I knew that he also had no idea. From his reaction, I was guessing he blamed Asher, but he couldn’t have done something without my knowledge, could he? Suddenly, Asher ran out of the crater they had made in a blur, running around the clearing.

“Felix wait I can explain! It’s not what you think!” He shouted as he ran around in the circle of the clearing, with Felix not far behind him and he seemed to be catching up. Suddenly I felt cold hands around my arms as I was lifted off the ground, and Felix stopped just in front of me, having stopped just in time to avoid collision with my face. Was he really using me as a human shield?

“Felix, please just let me explain.” Asher tried again as he held me in front of him, moving my body in sync with Felix’s movements so that he couldn’t get to Asher without harming me as well.

“Put her down or I’ll prolong your death even more!” Felix growled. I had never seen him so angry, not even when he killed that Frenchman in the city.

“I never touched her! Well, okay so I can see how this seems like a controversial statement considering I’m literally holding her right now, but aside from right now.” Even right now, when he was using me a shield, he seemed almost juvenile. Like he was just a kid who didn’t want to get beaten up by his big brother for smashing his Xbox.

“Put. Her. Down.” Felix growled, looking like he was about to strike anyway. I’m sure he would get me out of the way before he punched another crater into the ground.

“You’re the one who got her pregnant!” He said as he held me closer to his face so that Felix couldn’t grab his hair again. Felix froze, just like I did. I already knew from the look on his face earlier that he truly didn’t know, so Asher had to be lying.

“That’s impossible.” Felix practically spat at him. “Lying is even more pathetic than using a human as a shield.”

“I’m not lying! I swear it. Ok, so technically it is my fault, but I’m not the one who impregnated her, you were.” He peeked out from over my shoulder as if to make sure Felix wasn’t still coming at him.

“Your fault? How is that…” Felix trailed off and then comprehension dawned on his face as I assume he realized what happened. I had no idea what they were talking about. Asher breathed a sigh of relief as he must have realized that Felix understood too. He sat me down and patted me twice on the head like a small child.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t want him to kill me.” Asher’s chuckle was cut off as Felix was on top of him in a blur punching his face into the ground making a new crater.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!” Felix said between punches. I couldn’t actually see what was happening, I could only guess from the horrid sound it made when their bodies connected. And I could see the lower half of Asher’s body, so I knew he wasn’t the one doing the hitting.

“Aro sent me he said it wouldn’t be a problem!” Felix froze, fist raised like he was just about to punch him again.

“What was that?” Felix asked skeptically. Asher was shielding his face with his arms, but from all of the broken pieces that were now reforming to his face I could tell that hadn’t worked out for him very well.

“Aro sent me, he said that a new issue had arisen and that it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“What kind of new issue?” Felix asked, still sounding enraged.

“I don’t know, I don’t ask him these things. Why are you mad anyway? She’s your mate, I really don’t see a problem here.” Asher had barely gotten out the word ‘here’ before Felix ripped off his head and tossed it towards the woods. Asher’s body stumbled around looking for it as I just stood there in stunned silence. Mate? What? All this time, Felix saw me as his mate? When did this happen? And, more importantly, how did I get pregnant? I still didn’t understand what Felix had obviously realized just a few minutes ago. Felix was still kneeling over the crater that he had punched Asher’s head into, rubbing his face like he was just as confused about the situation as I was. He got up and walked over to me, and his face looked deeply apologetic.

“I’m very sorry, Belladonna. I don’t know how this happened yet, but we’re going to see if we can fix it. Get on the jet, we need to get back to Italy immediately.” He looked down at my stomach with an exasperated look and then disappeared in a blur into the house. I looked down at my stomach, still rubbing my hands over it trying to accept the information as real. I got back on the jet and curled up in the seat I had been in before and covered up with blankets. A few minutes later, Asher stumbled in as well combing his fingers through his hair. He smiled a carefree smile like nothing was wrong in the world.

“Sorry I scared you the other night, I didn’t mean to. I’m Ash.” He smiled and bowed before perching on the seat across from mine.

“What did you mean before?” I asked as I looked at him. “When you said it was your fault.”

“Oh, that.” He chuckled as he rubbed his neck as though it were something he didn’t really want to talk about. “I’ll explain that later, after we’re in the air. I think I should give Felix some time to cool off before he actually kills me.” He looked out the window and saw Felix running from the house to the jet, but to me it just looked like a blur; I had no idea what he was doing other than running. I assumed he was loading something onto the jet. “I’d better go make up with him, but I’ll be back soon. It was great meeting you.” He smiled and then also disappeared in a blur, leaving me alone. I looked down at my stomach as I felt another little nudge. Well, not completely alone.


	44. Vindictive

I stared out the window wrapped in several blankets as Felix and Ash bickered outside. I wasn’t really uncomfortably cold, the blankets just made me feel better. Thinking back on the past few days, pregnancy explained my odd appetite, my nausea, my extreme moods, my lack of color, but it seemed too early for any movement. But then again, I knew almost nothing about vampiric children. I wonder what this would mean, or how I would even give birth to it. Would it be born an immortal? Would it kill me? Would I even live long enough to give birth? I rubbed my stomach as I felt more little nudges on my hand; it was an active little thing, that’s for sure. I thought about what Asher said to Felix, about him not seeing it as a problem since I was his mate, but that gave me more questions than answers. It made sense as to why his words sometimes contradicted his actions, like in Port Angeles, but it didn’t explain his actions at all. It explained some of his actions I suppose, like the kidnapping and taking me to Paris so I could visit places from my novels, but it still didn’t answer why he went about it that way. And none of those things answered why or how I got pregnant in the first place. I smiled slightly to myself; mom and dad had always said they never had to worry about teen pregnancy for their daughters, and now I’m carrying a hybrid baby.

I rubbed my stomach from under the blankets wondering what it would look like; would it look like me? How much humanness would it have? I suddenly frowned. Humanness. The Volturi saw humans as below them, mostly used for food, wouldn’t a baby that was half human be seen as a liability? Maybe, since it was half vampire, they would change it when it got older. But would they want to wait that long when it would be easier just to dispose of it now when it was helpless? I started to feel panicked; I wrapped my arms around my stomach protectively as if I could stop any harm from coming to the little nudgling inside of me. I would have to think this over; I needed to gather some information first. If they did want to kill it, would they wait until I gave birth? That seemed the safest option; since they hadn’t killed me yet, maybe they wouldn’t since I was supposedly Felix’s mate. Surely, they wouldn’t want to just remove it when I could die too, so I would have some time to evaluate their intentions and make a plan of escape before there was any real danger to the baby. I sighed and relaxed at the thought; the baby was safe for now.

“Don’t worry little one,” I murmured to my stomach. “we’ll be alright.”

“Talking to it already?” Ash asked as he materialized on top of the seat across from me, smiling a carefree smile. I hadn’t noticed we were already in the air. “You got attached pretty quickly.”

“Well it is attached to me.” I responded sarcastically; Ash just laughed.

“Good point. I think Felix finally forgave me; he only seems mildly mad now instead of ready to burn me to cinders.” He chuckled as he gave his update as though this were news I had been waiting for.

“He does have a few new reasons to carry a lighter.” I said looking pointedly at him.

“Hey, I already said I was sorry for scaring you, I just wanted to watch the movie. Pride and Prejudice is a classic, how can you ever say no?” He asked, frowning slightly like this was one of the greatest mysteries of life. “And then you weren’t supposed to hear me, humans just can’t do that you know? And then _I_ couldn’t hear _you_ until you were already out the window, making a jump that you shouldn’t have made in your condition by the way, and then you just ran off faster than I’ve ever seen a human run and then I caught Felix’s scent and ran the other way thinking he got back from India early and by the time I realized you just took his jacket well you were already in Paris so I just stayed at the house.” Asher shrugged still smiling like that just explained everything perfectly. There were so many questions I wanted to ask from his little rant.

“India? Why was he in India?” I asked, my eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“Well, he didn’t _know_ he was going to India.” Ash said as he scratched the back of his head nervously. He must be around humans a lot; most vampires didn’t have such twitches.

“Explain.” It was more of a command than anything else.

“Have you ever taken a hallucinogenic drug?” He asked.

“No.” I was confused by his question; vampires didn’t react to drugs.

“Well my gift is kind of like that. I can make people get stuck in their own minds, and then I can control their bodies in the meantime.” He smiled brightly. “Pretty cool, right?”

“Wait, so you made Felix see something that made him run to India?” I asked skeptically.

“Yep. In his mind, he thought that he was with Demetri on a mission to India to investigate a coven rumored to be trying to start a newborn army and were drawing waaaay too much attention. Risking our exposure, by like a lot. Had to be dealt with right away. And I knew that he would be beyond furious when he snapped out of it, so after his role was played here, I actually sent him off to India so I could have time to get back to Italy. But then I caught sight of your movie collection and got a little distracted.” He chuckled like we were talking about some fun prank he pulled rather than an event that altered my life. “And besides, I couldn’t just leave you there by yourself, that would just be careless. But then you ran off so that kind of ruined that sentiment.” I frowned.

“By ‘play his role’, you mean…” I took my hand out of the blankets so he could see me motion to my stomach.

“Yep. You were a lot more complicated, I even had to drug some food and get you to sleep first. And even then, you kept on nearly breaking out of it. Like seriously, what are you? Some kind of power repellent?” He shook his head exasperatedly like that was the issue here. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

“Ash. Why would you do that?” I asked as though I were scolding a child. That’s what he reminded me of, a juvenile boy who didn’t understand why what he did was wrong. Ash cocked his head to the side as though he didn’t understand the question.

“Because Aro told me to. Why is it an issue anyway? You’re his mate, and it isn’t like this is a thing that all of our kind can have. Basically none of us actually. So I really don’t see why he’s upset about any of this. When he cools off, I’ll have to tell him you’re welcome.” He smiled patiently like he just had to wait for him to stop being rude.

“Is that what you call it?” Felix said, suddenly behind Ash; who jumped in surprise and fell in the seat. “Because it sounds to me like you want to get thrown off this jet.”

“Oh come on! Such acts would be rude in front of a lady you know. Very, very rude.” He backed up behind my seat all the same. “Besides, you aren’t mad at me, are you Donna?” Ash asked as he leaned over the seat looking at me.

“No, I’m not mad.” I said calmly.

“See? She isn’t mad, so you shouldn’t be.” Ash smiled like that settled that while Felix scowled at him.

“I’m not mad, I’m vindictive.” I said as I took a sip of water from a bottle I had next to me.

“What?” Ash asked in surprise, now looking at me. He was beginning to look nervous.

“Felix, throw him off the jet.”


	45. Mistakes

_***Felix POV***_

Throwing Ash off of the jet was pretty satisfying, but it didn’t do anything to fix what had already been done. I frowned as I led Belladonna through our underground travel ways; we had them all over the city. She’s hardly said anything at all after Ash told her what had happened and wished I could somehow read her mind to know what she was thinking. I couldn’t wrap my mind around why Aro had sent Ash there to us. We were due back in another week or so anyway, and I never thought that he would send _Ash_ to ensure that she was pregnant. When Aro briefly mentioned children before, he had spoken in future tense after she was much older and had lived here for years. What had changed? Why did right now become so important? Did he mean to turn her soon instead of in the future, if at all? What could have compelled such a change? I looked at her once more from the corner of my eye; she was so young. It must have been something drastic to compel Aro to change things so abruptly like this, I knew his regrets of changing Alec and Jane so young. At the time, the village the twins resided in forced his hand and he had to act immediately. The twins never showed any ire for being changed at such a young age, Jane even reveled in how cherubic she looked, but Aro had always wanted to wait until they were older. I frowned, remembering the scene with perfect clarity; Aro’s dismay at what the village had done, his loathing towards the village, his sorrow at not having changed them sooner so that they needn’t have suffered the burning flames, and his loss at not allowing them to take them away to age into more than what they were before he could turn them. In his effort to keep them safe, he had allowed them to both suffer a painful death twice, and risk that they would be unstable for eternity due to their youth.

I knew that he would not rush such a process if he foresaw a way to avoid it, and I hated that it meant he believed something was coming that we could not conspicuously protect her from. A sudden eagerness to get to the main building consumed me, so I picked up Belladonna and ran until we reached the entrances. I hadn’t thought until after this that the ride may have made her sick, but she hadn’t had any complaints on the jet. Then again, she didn’t say much of anything on the jet.

“Are you alright?” I asked as I looked down at her in concern. I wished that she would speak more, I wanted to know how she reacted to all of this. She didn’t look like she was suffering from motion sickness.

“I’m fine.” She said in a dull voice as she looked at me, like moving at inhuman speeds didn’t even faze her anymore.

I set her down and watched carefully to be sure she didn’t seem to be losing her balance, but she seemed perfectly fine. I briefly wondered if perhaps all of this was a horrible decision. If she seemed so numb now, would I have just damned her to an eternity of numbness? Sulpicia’s face flashed before my eyes, and Athenadora’s right after. Two once bright souls who now had to rely on the effects of Corin’s drug-like gift to be content. In their case, the death to their happiness came long after their change, but would Belladonna be that right from the start? I had already caused enough damage to last a lifetime, would she even live a fulfilling life if I were to convince Aro to let her leave now? I physically winced at the pain that caused me. I couldn’t bear to leave her before, and even less now, but if what was happening would destroy her happiness forever, I would gladly sacrifice mine for hers. I knew Aro had heard us approach, so there was no sense in delaying things now. I took one last look at the fragile girl beside me and took that last step forward as the doors were opened for us as though they were motion activated. Aro’s smiling face was waiting towards the middle of the room, and she walked along with me as though she too had done this countless times over several millennia.

“Ah, what a relief it is to have you both home at last! I was so anxious for your return. Where is Asher?” Aro asked, a slightly perplexed look coming over his face as his head cocked to the side.

“He very abruptly found himself with the need to run back rather than ride in the jet.” Belladonna answered before I could even speak. I was surprised, she typically didn’t speak at all without provocation. Aro still looked confused as he walked over and held out his hand for mine. I grasped his hand as he saw everything that had happened since I was last here.

“Ah!” He said, laughing as he saw Ash’s face when I threw him off the jet. “Now, Felix, you really must be kinder to your brother. Though it is hard to refuse when such a compelling young lady makes a request, so I suppose no harm is done.” He released my hand, still chuckling as he walked over towards a table he had been standing by, reading books and ancient scrolls. “Belladonna, dear, you must be very hungry. I believe we have a solution for that. Why don’t you allow Renata to get you nourished while I meet with Felix?” I knew he had seen things that he wanted to discuss, but I was slightly surprised that he had chosen Renata to be the one to take her elsewhere. I relaxed more as I realized the choice was to make me more at ease. Although I knew that no one here would harm her, it did help knowing that her escort would be someone with a gift that repelled physical attacks. It was a guarantee that she would be perfectly safe while we were apart. Renata looked at Aro, then at Belladonna, then back at Aro in slight confusion; she very rarely left his side. But when he seemed to be serious, she walked over to Belladonna and extended her hand.

“Come.” She said, trying to smile and seem welcoming. I’m not sure how well that would work on a human, but Belladonna was an average human. She looked up at me with questioning eyes and I gave a slight mod, assuring her that it was alright. She looked back at Renata and then silently started walking towards where her hand was extended. It was painful watching her go, even knowing she would be perfectly safe. I also knew it was necessary, Aro and I had much to discuss. As soon as the doors had closed signaling the finality of Belladonna and Renata’s exit, my meeting with Aro began.


	46. Renata

_***Donna POV***_

I was slightly surprised when I was led away by a stranger. I had seen her when I was here last time, but she seemed very skittish and I had never seen her leave Aro’s side while I was there. She was just a few inches taller than I was, and she seemed to be more relaxed after we had left the room. She kept one hand gently wrapped around my arm, just as she always had one hand on Aro when he had company. My guess was that she was some kind of protector, though I doubted her skill would be in fighting like Felix; it must be some kind of gift that deflects attacks, or at least that’s my best guess. Felix seemed fine with it, so I wasn’t worried; although maybe that was an unwise assumption, he had caused me harm in the past. My chest ached slightly at the thought, and I knew that I wasn’t truly angry with him. I wasn’t sure when exactly I had stopped being angry with him, but I realized that I trusted him. More than that, I _wanted_ to be with him. I knew deep down that I did care for him, and the current situations didn’t change that. However, they did make me feel guilty about feeling that way; was I being selfish? Now that it wasn’t just me I was thinking about, would I be able to run away if there were a danger to my baby and Felix didn’t want to go? I couldn’t picture that. It wasn’t just _my_ baby, it was _our_ baby; Felix was very protective of me, surely that would only intensify with a baby in the picture. I felt multiple little nudges and I couldn’t help but smile slightly, rubbing my stomach in little circles.

“May I?” Renata asked. She was smiling nervously at me and looking from my eyes to my stomach. It occurred to me that she looked like she was nervous I would hurt her, she seemed to be a very sensitive person.

“Sure.” I said as I moved my hand, trying to return her smile so she knew that very insignificant me couldn’t hurt an immortal. She very slowly and deliberately placed her hand on my stomach and kept it very still, not wanting to hurt anything. She gasps when she felt a little nudge on her hand, followed by a consistent string of nudging.

“It’s very active.” She said, almost concerned. “Does that hurt you?” She looked at me, concern shadowing her beautiful features.

“No, not really. Although when it gets bigger it might start to, I don’t know.” I said as I watched my little baby bump poke out with each little nudge.

“You seem like you’re lacking nutrition.” She observed. “After the baby is satiated, you should be able to eat.” She said as she stood back up and led me into a room.

“Satiated?” I asked, what could she mean?

“Yes, Aro has been doing plenty of research so everyone would be fully prepared. Considering its more basic needs, it’s probably thirsty.” She explained. Ah, of course, I should have known. The baby would need blood.

“How am I going to get it to the baby?” I couldn’t just bite a person, that wouldn’t work out very well for me. Renata walked over to what seemed like an oven of sorts and pulled out a metal cup, placing it in a type of sheath and then handing it to me.

“Freshly drained this morning.” Her smile reminded me a little of a chef who wanted to see if a customer liked their food. Nothing but the best in Volterra. I could smell the blood, but it didn’t smell as blood usually did; it smelled delicious. That realization was a bit unnerving, but I tried not to give that away in my expression. I took the cup and drank from the metal straw already inside it. It was warm but didn’t burn. As soon as the blood touched my tongue, I felt exhilarated. It was delicious in a way that food had never been, and as I felt the warm liquid go down to my stomach, I could feel the baby nudge enthusiastically. It was happy, too. 

“How is it?” Renata asked nervously. I wasn’t sure why she was so concerned over whether I liked it, but she did honestly seem like a nice person; maybe she felt this way about everyone. I waited until I had finished the cup, which only took a few seconds, to answer. I smiled, trying to reassure her.

“Delicious.” Her answering smile was beaming, like I had brought her pure joy.

“Would you like more?” She asked enthusiastically, already taking off the sheath and retrieving another cup from the oven placing it in the sheath instead. “We should make sure that the baby is satisfied and then we can make sure you get some food, too. I’m not sure you would be able to keep human food down otherwise.” She explained as she handed me the second cup. I drank it a bit more slowly, savoring the taste. I should be more disturbed about that fact than I was, but maybe that was just me accepting the situation. It took nearly a full minute for me to drain the cup, and I was sad when the taste was gone. Renata took the cup and placed it beside the first one.

“Whenever you feel thirsty, don’t stay quiet about it. We have plenty and can always obtain more.” Renata smiled happily, much more relaxed than she had been a while ago. I wondered who had died for me to drink that blood; was it a child? A parent? Grandparent? Sibling? Who was missing them? I knew it was pointless to think about that now, they were dead before I got here and the Volturi drained people on a regular basis. Whether I drank it or not, that wouldn’t change. But I still felt a little relieved that I had these questions, they seemed to be questions a normal person would have.

“Thank you, Renata. I’m sorry to have pulled you away from what you normally do.” I said as I hugged the blanket around myself that I seemed to never let go of.

“Oh, not at all!” She suddenly seemed frightened that she’d given the wrong impression. “Everyone is excited, I was very happy to be here.”

“Excited? Why?” Why would they be excited? Was it the baby? Renata smiled and led me out of the room and down the hall into yet another room. This one seemed more like a library, and it had a fireplace that was started which made the room very warm. She led me over to a comfortable chair that seemed to be more cushion than anything else, I was reminded of that first sleepover I had with Rose and felt a painful stab in my chest. Would I ever see her again?

“Everyone has heard so much about you over the last few months, it was rather anxiously anticipated that you would arrive.” Renata explained, seeming to take a bowl out of a cabinet, but it was across the room in the dark so I couldn’t really be sure.

“But why?” I asked, even more confused. Renata thought for a moment, as if thinking of how to explain.

“I know things were different for your sister, but imagine if things had worked out a bit more…traditionally. Wouldn’t you be anxious to meet her boyfriend?” She asked, still across the room. I thought about that for a moment, imagining if Bella had come home in love one day, but I hadn’t known Edward. I suppose it would be pretty exciting to finally meet him. Thinking of Bella didn’t send as much pain through my chest as remembering Rose had, and I felt a bit guilty.

“I think I understand. I just didn’t expect it I think.” I tried to summarize how I felt, and as always it didn’t go very well. Renata appeared beside me with a large bowl and a fork. I could see some meat and vegetables over the edge, it looked extremely high quality, did they do everything here that way? Nothing but the best mentality?

“And then with a baby too.” She seemed to hardly be able to contain her excitement as she handed me the bowl. “That’s never happened here before, so that’s extra exciting. As you can imagine, after a while there isn’t really anything new. So something on this scale is truly indescribable.” I thought about that for a moment as I took a bite of the food. If everyone here was happy about the baby as Renata seemed to be, then perhaps there was no danger to it. I relaxed slightly at the thought. Good, I wouldn’t have to work to escape the largest coven of gifted vampires on earth.

“But they aren’t upset that I’m a human?” I asked as I looked at her. I quickly took another bite, not wanting to offend her like I accidentally did earlier.

“We all were at some point.” She said dismissively. “That’s hardly a complication.” I nodded as I chewed, thinking over what she said. It seemed that most of my assumptions of this place were misled, I would need to reevaluate. I should try and not judge things until I had the whole picture. Although I wasn’t anywhere near finished with the bowl, I was exhausted. Renata seemed to see that and smiled a sympathetic smile.

“Come on, you look like you could use some rest.” She said as she took the bowl, placing it on the table. She picked me up and with a rush of wind, we were suddenly in a bedroom decorated in black and dark purple. It was absolutely gorgeous and seemed like something from the Victorian era. She laid me down in a large bed, and it felt like I was laying on a cloud. “you probably haven’t slept well, but now that the baby isn’t thirsty you should be able to rest.”

“Thanks, Renata.” I smiled as I pulled the covers over myself.

“You’re welcome, Belladonna.” The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was her silent form drifting through the door, and as the room fell into darkness, so did I.


	47. Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Quick note, I know I've been updating pretty often and I will continue to do that as much as I can. However, my university has just started classes once more so I won't have time to update as often as I have been. I'm sorry, I hope you all can be patient and not grow bored waiting. I promise I will still try my best to update as often as possible. Thank you all for reading my story thus far ❤️

_***Felix POV***_

I walked in to where Renata had left her and found her still sleeping. Good, she hasn’t been resting much and she needs it now more than ever. I sat down at the edge of the bed and studied her face; she already looked much healthier compared to when we arrived. Her complexion was back to a healthier color, the circles around her eyes were significantly smaller, and her heartbeat was much stronger as well. I frowned, lightly tracing the edge of her face with my finger. She shouldn’t have to go through this at all, let alone so soon. I understood Aro’s reasoning, and as always, he was right not to tell me until after the fact. I would have taken her away to avoid it, probably causing her more pain in an attempt to spare her from it. She must be so confused, not understanding what was going on. I should have taken more advantage of the time we had earlier and explained to her things about the Volturi; but of course, I foolishly thought we had more time, and I was worried over what her reaction would be. I looked down at her stomach, already grown to produce a small baby bump that moved evenly with her breathing. Things had gone far from how I had originally planned it, and now it was too late for me to fix it. I needed to be more honest with her, rather than stay with the ridiculous notion that the information she wanted would overwhelm her.

“What’s wrong?” I looked up at her face, her lips contorted into a frown and her eyebrows knitted together in concern. I hadn’t even noticed that she was awake.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” I should have just left her alone to sleep, but even though I knew she was with Renata I was anxious being away from her.

“Did something happen during the meeting with Aro?” She asked, not to be distracted.

“No, everything went fine.” As fine as could be expected, anyway.

“Then what’s wrong?” She asked as she sat up, her concern almost completely replaced with determination; she wasn’t allowing me to be evasive anymore. I sighed, trying to think of how to best word it.

“Everything went fine, but I still didn’t like how it went. But there’s nothing to be done about it.” I knew I should tell her what happened, but I didn’t want her to try and run off. Granted, she never did anything of the sort before, but now that she’s carrying a child, she may have more of a sense of self preservation.

“What is it that you disliked about the conversation?” She frowned, obviously upset by something. What had I said to offend her?

“Is there an answer in particular you’re searching for?” Of course there would be, but considering the circumstances the possibilities were endless.

“Why am I pregnant, Felix? Aro sent Asher and it happened without your knowledge or mine, he has something up his sleeve and I want to know what it is right now.” The determination in her eyes almost made me smile, but I knew she would think I was laughing at her. No matter the circumstances, she was just adorable when she tried to be intimidating.

“There was an unforeseen complication.” How to explain? I’ve been with Aro for millennia, and even I know it sounds strange; how would it sound to her? “Aro has been alive in this new life for a very long time,” I began, her face nothing but patient. “Aro, along with Caius and Marcus, have created many myths that the humans now know today. Most of which to protect our secret, but some were just for their own entertainment.” I chuckled a little at just a few that came to mind before continuing. “However, they are not the only ones. They are not the first of our kind of course, and the ancients before them held a similar pattern. However, it is difficult to determine at times what ancient stories are human made, made by an immortal, actual truth, or anything in between. The Volturi know the most of our kind, but even they continue to learn things all the time. Aro, being the oldest and possessing the gift that he does, has collected the most and he pursues this almost religiously.” An interesting take, considering many people in the ancient times believed him to be a god. He’s contributed to religious myths as well, but that would have to wait for another time. I studied her reaction, trying to determine whether she was following along or if I had already lost her.

“So they collect stories and myths that were made not by them, and try to determine whether those stories are true, partially true, or serve some other form of purpose either required by humans or immortals.” She summarized, studying my face. “And Aro found a new myth that made this necessary?” She asked skeptically; unsure if that’s what I was getting to, and probably unsure if she believed it even if it were.

“Essentially yes. It isn’t new, it’s very, very old. And in a language that has long since died out. It’s taken Aro centuries to be able to collect enough similar items to be able to decipher this text, and he believes it to be genuine.” I tried to explain, although I’m sure she was still wondering how this applied to her. She thought for a long moment.

“How long have you been with Aro, Felix?” She asked, her expression changing completely. She looked almost sympathetic, as though she had just realized something that made her very sad but not on her own account.

“A long time.” I wasn’t sure how this question connected, and she honestly surprised me by asking it. “Around two thousand years, give or take.” Years flowed differently after so long, I would have to think of exact time periods later. Belladonna nodded, looking down at the covers deep in thought. I wonder what she could be thinking of, and how all of this connects in her brain.

“I think I understand.” She said after a few minutes.

“You do?” I asked, confused. How did such a disconnected question connect this in her mind? I hadn’t even gotten around to the actual explanation for her question yet.

“Yes.” She said as she looked back up at me, very sure of herself. “Aro was trying to find a way to successfully produce a hybrid child without killing me. And he stumbled upon an ancient version of what we know today as an incubus myth.” She summarized as though she already knew the information and I had just reminded her of the answer. “And he knew that now your feelings were stronger than before and you wouldn’t do such a thing while I was sleeping, and so he had to go with the only solution in which you would also be unaware.” I blinked, staring at her. Now I was the one confused and with questions.

“And this doesn’t make you angry?” That wasn’t the most important question, but it was the one that I ended up saying first. I couldn’t believe all of the things that she took in stride, or the conclusions she came to on her own; perhaps she _wasn’t_ human after all.

“No. He panicked.” She stated simply.

“Aro doesn’t panic, he never acts rashly.” He has too much experience for such things. Uncertainty was below someone like him.

“No, he did.” She said with a sense of finality as she got up, closing the topic.

“Where are you going?” I asked as she walked towards the door, still reeling in my own confusion. Aro explained it to me directly, and I didn’t even understand as firmly as she seemed to. I had to be missing something.

“The baby is thirsty.” She said as she reached the door. She paused right before she opened it and looked at me. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen, I’m not angry with you. Despite what happened before, I know that things are different now. I forgive you for what happened, you need to forgive yourself.” She left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. If it were possible, I would have cried.


	48. The Wives

_***Donna POV***_

Over the next few days, it seemed like all I was doing was eating, drinking, and sleeping. I noticed that something seemed a little off, and it took me nearly two days to realize what that was; Demetri, Jane, and Alec weren’t here at all. I was meaning to ask about where they were, but each time I thought about it I was about to go to sleep, and by the time I woke up I had forgotten. I didn’t have a lot of energy, but Felix still seemed to think that I had too much. He was extremely attentive, as was everyone else. It seemed like I was in a new ancient dress every few hours because wearing the same thing for too long was apparently below everyone here; I thought I looked like a pregnant Viking house-wife from ancient Celtic times. Renata and Felix basically hovered around me 24 hours a day and getting me anything the moment they thought I needed it or picking me up and running to bed the moment they thought I looked tired. The thing was, I wasn’t normally tired until the moment I laid in bed, and I wasn’t typically hungry until I started eating. I craved blood a lot, mostly due to the baby I’m sure, but most other things I should feel as a human, I just didn’t until I had started the action. It was odd, but I was beginning to adjust. My stomach grew more every day, and the baby continued to get stronger. Each day was more like a month passing by; whenever I went to sleep, I would wake up and my stomach would be significantly larger. I was beginning to worry about the rapid growth; I already looked like I was several months pregnant, but even so I just seemed much bigger than I should be. The baby was very, very active; Felix was worried that the kicks would start injuring me. But although I had a few bruises and it hurt a little, I didn’t really feel much pain from it. It did, however, wake me up often when I slept. It was on one such occasion that my little marathon runner woke me up, and I heard voices outside my door. I couldn’t quite hear what was being said, but I could hear very soft female voices and Felix talking outside. I had finally managed to get my legs over the edge of the bed to try and get up when the door opened.

“Sulpicia, wait.” I could hear Felix saying outside. But the tall, fair-haired woman just raised her hand for him to be silent and walked in anyway. She had an air about her that made her seem regal, like a long ruling queen. Behind her, was another woman of equal regality and fair hair, though her hair seemed even lighter than the first. This must be Sulpicia and Athenadora, the wives of Aro and Caius.

“Hello, Belladonna.” Sulpicia greeted with a smile. They basically were queens, and I was sitting in bed with a stomach about half my size and swollen feet that felt like they belonged in clown shoes.

“Hello.” I said, half in shock. I had heard of the wives, but I didn’t think they ever left the tower. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you as well.” Athenadora answered in a wistful voice. They were both dressed in black dresses and equally black cloaks, like they were in mourning. “How are you feeling?” Athenadora had such light hair it was nearly white, while Sulpicia’s hair was more of a darkened gold.

“Fine, I feel great.” I said almost automatically, confused as to why they were there. I rested my hand on my stomach as the baby kicked so fervently you could see it through my dress, the little show off.

“May I?” Sulpicia asked, as she extended her hand to my stomach.

“Oh, of course.” I replied as I moved my hand so she could place hers there. I didn’t understand why everyone here was so obsessed with feeling my stomach, but I suppose this was quite the novelty. Sulpicia placed her hand on my stomach and smiled fondly for a moment, almost looking as though she may giggle; but then she suddenly frowned. “Thena, come here.” Athenadora was by her side in a second, her hand by Sulpicia’s on my stomach. She also frowned deeply.

“The fool.” She said as she pulled her hand away. “You know he knew about this.” She hissed at Sulpicia, almost accusingly. Sulpicia sighed as though she should have expected this and shook her hand as she stood up straight. “This poor child,” she almost whispered.

“What?” I said as I placed my arms protectively around my stomach. “Who knew what?” Of course they probably meant Aro, but I didn’t understand. The baby’s kick seemed fine to me, perfectly strong and healthy.

“Aro.” Sulpicia said as she rubbed her temples as though to relieve a headache. Her eyes were closed, like she was trying to think of the best course of action as well as deal with a long-suffering annoyance. “I should have known.”

“Scheming on his own again, he didn’t council with the others.” Athenadora said with disgust. “Marcus would have at least seen this as a horrible idea.” Interesting how she didn’t seem to think Caius would be opposed, I suppose they didn’t see either of their husbands as without flaws. Perhaps they’d been together too long for that.

“There’s nothing to be done about it now, Thena.” Sulpicia scolded her gently. Athenadora turned her face the other way to glare at the wall. I could see some of their husbands’ demeanors now. Sulpicia, with a patient if not long-suffering scold of Athenadora, who wanted to voice her frustrations and anger even if nothing good would come out of the argument. I could see a bit more clearly now how the couples fit together, and I wondered about Marcus’ long-lost mate and if they fit together the same way. Is that how Felix and I seemed to others, or did we seem more mismatched?

“What is there nothing to be done about?” I said a bit more intensely than I probably should have, but it gained their attention. They looked at each other, and then Sulpicia looked at me with serious but very sympathetic eyes.

“Belladonna, darling, the child isn’t going to make it. There’s no possibility that you will live to carry it to term, you would die long before it were ever developed. So, either the pregnancy must be terminated, or your body will give out.” Sulpicia explained gently.

“Your body would give out long before the child develops enough to survive without you, termination is the best route. When your body gave out, if you could be saved, the child would have to be carved out before you could be turned, but it would be extremely underdeveloped and die regardless.” Athenadora sniffed distastefully. Dread filled my being and I covered my stomach with my arms protectively when they mentioned termination.

“What are you talking about? The baby is fine, I’m fine, no one has ever brought this up before. I can carry it until it’s developed it’s fine!” I scooted away from them on the bed as Felix suddenly appeared behind me just in time to catch me before I would have fallen off the bed.

“Shh, _cara mia,_ calm down. Everything is alright. What’s happened?” He soothed with worried eyes, stroking my hair.

“They said the pregnancy had to be terminated because I could never last to carry the baby to development and we would both die otherwise.” I hastily explained as I curled around my stomach shielding it more. The baby kicked as though it was also upset, probably because I was busy freaking out.

“Nonsense.” Felix looked a bit angry as he looked over at the two wives across my bed. “There are stories of humans surviving. It will be difficult, but it can be done, you should know this.” He scolded.

“It would be viable if it were just one!” Athenadora hissed angrily. I froze. Just one? Then that meant…

“Belladonna,” Sulpicia began gently, “you’re carrying more than one child.”


	49. Heartbeats

My heart stopped in my chest.

“More… than one?” I choked out. If Felix hadn’t been holding me, I knew I would have fallen.

“Yes.” Sulpicia continued quietly. I could tell she was trying to be gentle, not wanting to frighten me more. Athenadora was simply looking at the wall in disgust, not bothering to hide her distaste for the situation but at least trying to make it obvious she isn’t disgusted with _me._ “With one child, perhaps your body could withstand it. As Felix said, it _has_ been done before, a very, very long time ago where the mother and child both survived. However, with even one child there are so many risks, during the rare times that the mother survives copulation the child almost always kills her. At times before the baby is even viable at all; a human body simply isn’t made to withstand such things. There was a chance, with proper care, that with only one you could survive and deliver the baby. But with more than that, it’s just too much.”

“The nutrients it sucks from your body, the pain and broken bones from the kicks as it develops, the _process_ of delivering it.” Athenadora spat out complications with such hostility I wondered if she had some sort of history with this herself. “Just one is almost more than a human can stand, in most cases it _is_ more than a human can stand. With multiple, there’s just no way that she will carry to even be viable. The draining of nutrients alone would surely kill her, and even then that wouldn’t be enough.” She looked at me and her face softened. She kneeled by me and took my hand in hers. “Belladonna, termination is the only option here. Trying to get the nutrients into your body, that will starve all of you. You will all starve to death, and even if by some miracle that weren’t an issue, they would destroy your body simply by moving around. Their strength, it’s too small of a space and too thin of a barrier. Either the babies get removed, or all of you will die. There is no way to save the little ones you carry, but there is a way to save you.” She looked fervently into my eyes with a sad, pleading expression.

“I’ll speak with my husband.” Sulpicia said, her face contorting into stoic look of disapproval. I sat there, frozen just rubbing my stomach. I couldn’t let them kill the babies. I had to at least try.

“You believe Aro knew about this?” Felix said in shocked disbelief. I could see on his face his entire worldview crumbling in despair.

“Doubtless.” Athenadora hissed as she stood up. “I only hope for my husband’s sake that he had nothing to do with it.”

“I’ll sort it out, Thena.” Sulpicia said patiently.

“No.” I said as I looked up at them. Sulpicia looked at me in surprise, as though she didn’t expect for me to speak. Athenadora looked at me with sympathy, as though she thought I was still in denial of the situation; Felix couldn’t look at me, I’m not sure he even heard me speak. “I’ll go see Aro.” I said as I got up. That’s when Felix reacted, curling his arms around me as though to protect me from standing.

“No, _cara mia._ Let us handle it, you need to rest and stay in bed. When you wake up, everything will be better.” He said as he stroked my hair as though I were made of glass. I grabbed his hand and pulled it down closer to my face, knowing his eyes would follow.

“I believe I’m the one he owes the explanation to, don’t you?” Heartbreak and regret filled his expression, and I knew that he was questioning everything he had done up to this point.

“Yes, of course you are.” He answered, barely above a whisper. His eyes dropped down to my stomach as he gently kissed it and then laid his ear against my stomach, listening to the heartbeats with his eyes closed. After just a moment, his eyes popped open. “ _Dagli dei_...” He whispered, his face falling even more than before. I could tell by the looks on Sulpicia and Athenadora’s faces that they already knew whatever it was that Felix had found. “Three heartbeats.” He said quietly.

Three heartbeats. Three little ones inside of me. No wonder there was so much kicking, and that also explained the size. I couldn’t afford to react; I knew that if I did, none of them would let me go see Aro. So instead, I took a breath and simply walked out of the room. It seemed like a short walk to get to the grand hall where I knew Aro would be. I simply walked in as soon as I got there, and surprisingly found Aro alone in the room. He was reading a book next to a small table in nearly the very center of the room, his back towards the door. I don’t think I had ever seen him alone, no one else at all in the room with him.

“Ah, Belladonna.” He said happily as he turned to greet me, smiling a welcoming smile. “I’ve been expecting you.” He said as he set down his book. I walked in, letting the giant doors close behind me as I closed the distance between us.

“Did you know?” I never was one for small talk, and that definitely wasn’t going to change today. Aro looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

“Yes, although the exact number of course I couldn’t be sure.” He said, chuckling slightly. “I’m sure if the others hadn’t been so preoccupied and simply listened, they would have heard the multiple little heartbeats.”

“Sulpicia says termination is the only way. What is it that you know that they don’t?” I asked as I looked at him. His eyebrows raised as though I raised a perplexing question.

“What leads you to believe I have any further knowledge on the matter?”

“You’re a collector, but your collection would be damaged if you went through all of this planning while knowing this was the outcome. You wouldn’t break your own glass castle.” I stated simply. He chuckled and placed his two pointer fingers against his chin as though in deep thought, his fingers intertwined.

“A lovely conclusion, but you only have part of the picture dear one.” He said as he walked in a bit of a crescent direction around me. “You’ve reached the correct conclusion, but for the wrong reasons.”

“I don’t care about the reasons; the past can’t be changed. I want to know what it is that you’re hiding, how does this have a different ending?” I was beginning to get frustrated now. Aro loved theatrics and riddles but I had time for neither.

“Your gift, dear one, is very stunning. I must admit I was misguided about it at first.” He chuckled slightly, walking in a full circle now. “I didn’t see it for what it was. But when the initial attempt to bring you home went awry, my eyes were opened.” He said, smiling proudly like he had made some grand discovery and I had just won a trophy.

“How is that useful here?” So I could reflect back a vampire’s powers like a mirror, that didn’t seem relevant in this situation. What was I going to do, reflect death?

“It was more than I had imagined, and yet more is to be discovered still, I think.” He continued thoughtfully as though I hadn’t spoken. “And yet I still wonder,” He said quietly, almost to himself, as he stopped in front of me smiling once more. “Might I try again?” He asked as he held out his hand. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but maybe if I humored him he would get to the point. I sighed and placed my hand in his. The moment our hands touched, the images began.


	50. Memories Part 1

_I was instantly transported to another time and place. The scenery that surrounded me was like something out of a movie; it appeared to be a small village on the edge of a wood line. The little houses were arranged in a semi-circular pattern that rested against the edge of some trees, while leading out of the village was a dirt path that lead through an ocean of golden grain as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, the golden ocean of grain started to move as hoards of children started appearing on the path, racing towards the little village. In the houses, women were beginning to come out of the little huts, looking towards the path. My eyes were drawn to one in particular; tall and beautiful, she had long, black curly hair that fell passed her waist. She had it down, with one thick strand twisted and clipped behind her ear so it didn’t fall in her face. She was smiling, her face radiating nothing but fond adoration as she waited for her child, or children. She was wearing a plain purple dress that seemed homemade and a thin piece of worn leather tied around the waist. Her eyes were a very vibrant blue that reminded me of the ocean, I had never seen such beautiful eyes. Through the open door of her little hut-like house I could see the edge of a wooden basin that had steam coming out of it. Ah, she was going to give her children a bath. Suddenly she knelt down and held out her arms and I turned my head to see who she was greeting._

_“Mama! Mama!”A little boy no more than five or six ran straight into his mother’s arms, holding her tightly around her neck. I could tell that the words were in a language I didn’t know, but I heard them in English. The boy was dirty, like he had been rolling around in dirt all day. He had curly black hair like his mother’s that fell over his face and into his eyes, and an impish grin that no one could ever stay mad at._

_“There you are!” The woman stood up while holding her son, kissing him on his dirt-smeared cheek. “And how did you get so filthy, my little heathen?” She scolded fondly as she moved his curls out of his face to reveal blue eyes the exact same shade as her own. She gasped, covering her mouth. “What happened to your face?? Have you been fighting again?” She brushed her fingers over a bruise on the child’s cheek, next to a gash with long dried blood._

_“He tried to steal my apple.” The child crossed his arms, pouting adorably for a moment before breaking out into that impish grin. “But you should have seen his face, mama. His looks worse than mine, he had to put mud all over his face to stop the bleeding, he looked like an ugly dirt spirit.”_

_“What have I told you about fighting with the other boys?” The mother scolded gently with a look of disapproval._

_“To not.” The boy said as he looked down, playing with a bright golden chain around the woman’s neck. It looked oddly familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before._

_“And why is that?” She asked, obviously a conversation they had on a regular basis._

_“Because papa is the only fighter we need in the house.” He conceded, knowing his lines well. Suddenly, he looked up at his mother, pushing his curls out of his eyes. “But mama, papa isn’t here. Can’t I be a fighter until he gets home?” The woman chuckled and kissed his head._

_“Your papa will be home soon enough, and you need to practice not fighting so you’ll be used to it when he gets home.”_

_“But I can start practicing when he gets home.” The boy insisted, his eyes getting larger as he pleaded with his mother._

_“No, my love. You need to play nicely with the other children, they aren’t your enemy. You have to learn who to fight and when in order to be a true fighter like your papa.” The woman smiled and smoothed his hair out of his face with her fingers. “Now let’s get you cleaned up, it’s time to eat.” She carried him inside, and for a moment everything was quiet, until a splash could be heard from inside the house, and a squeal from the woman, her son had obviously splashed her with water from his bath._

_“Felix Alexander!” The woman yelled. There was another splash, followed by a childish shriek and more splashing followed by the laughter of a water fight; but I couldn’t pay attention to it. I suddenly realized where I was; I was in a memory. A memory that wasn’t my own but was of Felix when he was just a little boy. This must be one of Aro’s memories, or at least the memory of someone he touched._

_I walked over and looked inside the house and saw Felix sitting in a little carved wooden chair with his mother at a table, both soaking wet and wearing identical mischievous smiles as they ate. They looked so happy here, I wondered what had happened that took this happy little boy from this tiny remote village to the most effective and vicious immortal fighter that the Volturi had ever seen. I looked at his mother a bit more closely, he looked a lot like her. It was obvious here that he had gotten his eyes and hair from her, I wondered what possessed him to cut it as an adult; with the short hair he wore now, I never would have guessed it had been so curly. She and Felix obviously had a very close and loving relationship, like any child should have with their mother. I was never so close with either of my parents but looking at that table it was exactly as I had always pictured the bond between parent and child should be. I wondered what ever happened to his mother; how did she meet her end, and why did Felix not change her too after he became an immortal? I had so many questions as to what happened between the scene I was seeing here and the present day. I wasn’t even sure what era this was, but I could tell by the surroundings that it was a time long passed. A flicker of light from the setting sun reflected against the gold chain she wore, making it catch my eye. As I looked at it a bit more closely, noticed a bright and shining trinket on the end of that chain resting on her chest. I was shocked to see that it was the very same one I wore around my neck; that day in Italy that seemed so long ago, Felix had given me his mother’s necklace._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know that I usually make my notes at the beginning of the chapters but I wanted to wait until the end this time so that everyone got to read the chapter first. So, the next few chapters will be in all italics because they are memories. The reason that Donna can see these things through Aro will be revealed later, so don't worry about that. We will be traveling and skipping around a little because while Donna can see these things she is still human and can only handle/see so much, so I just wanted to clarify these things so that there would be minimal confusion and you would know in what mindset to read the coming chapters. Another thing that I wanted to address is that I added one of you lovely readers on discord so that she could keep me updated on her theories as she re-read through the story, and I wanted to make sure that you all knew that if you wanted I would love to add you on the Line or Discord apps, and you can tell me your theories, or pose questions, ask about updates, anything you want! Of course if you don't want to or are uncomfortable with this, I completely understand, I just thought I would let you guys know that it was an option if you so choose c:  
> Ok, that's it! Again I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the coming ones as we take a little journey through time 💕


	51. Memories Part 2

_The scenery around me started to change, the colors swirling in on each other and reforming into what I suppose was a different time. Considering how similar everything looked, it couldn’t have been long after what I had just witnessed. My attention was drawn to two women, speaking in hushed voiced in front of another house; one of the women was Felix’s mother, and the other was a slightly older woman with light brown hair beginning to streak with grey._

_“I just received word, Visi.” The older woman said. Visi must be the name of Felix’s mom; I had never heard the name before, but it suited her. “While attempting to set up an ambush, they were discovered by the Romans.” Visi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand._

_“Are they alright? Was it Arrius who wrote to you, has he seen Alexander?” Based on the worry in her voice, Alexander must be her husband. The other woman grabbed Visi’s hand in a reassuring way, though her eyes still looked troubled._

_“There was a small battle, but none of ours were killed. Some were wounded, but all escaped with their lives. They’re in hiding now, waiting for an opportunity to strike once more.” The other woman was obviously troubled by this._

_“Arrius will come back, Nosha.” Visi said as she squeezed the hand of her friend. “We have to trust that they will prevail, we can’t lose hope now.”_

_“I know, but maybe we should have simply conceded to the demands of the Romans.” She started speaking quickly, as though she were afraid to be interrupted or that if she stopped, she wouldn’t continue. “If we would have, I know that things would have been horrible but at least we would still have our husbands and fathers here with us.” Visi’s demeanor changed entirely, she frowned._

_“Nosha, surely you don’t mean that. We would have been slaves.” She tried to reason._

_“Yes, but we would have been together and alive.” She insisted._

_“What kind of life is it to be under the rule of a people who view us as savages to be conquered?” Visi said, beginning to get angry now. When she had talked to Felix about fighting, I had thought that she was more peaceful. But hearing her now, she seemed very proud of her husband for fighting._

_“And what if we lose anyway?!” Nosha said defensively. “You know that we have no chance against the Romans! They will kill our husbands and fathers and then they will burn our village to the ground! Is that a future you want for your son? To die or be taken as a slave by the Roman soldiers?” I could tell that she was trying to hit below the belt, but Visi only steeled in her resolve._

_“I would rather have the Romans pry my child from my cold dead hands than simply hand them his life like a coward, and so would his father. If we lose and the Romans slaughter us all, they would have slaughtered a free people rather than oppressed generations of slaves.” She basically hissed._

_“But it will be worse for us now! Think of our children, of your son! Even if they are spared then they will be made into slaves, tossed into the Colosseum, or gods know what else!” Nosha pressed, grabbing her hand imploringly. “If we go and surrender now, they may have mercy! Our husbands may be angry, but they will be alive.” Visi ripped her hand away in disgust._

_“How dare you!” She looked at the woman in disbelief. “No matter what the fates have aligned for my son, he has the fighting spirit of his father and my boy will survive. While he is in my arms, I will not hand him to any ruler. Neither will I betray my husband and waste every drop of blood our men have shed for the safety of our families. I know under what power to kneel, do you?” Visi turned and stalked away, leaving Nosha behind._

_“You are a fool!” Nosha yelled after her. “An arrogant, prideful, fool! You and your family will-ah!” She stopped and covered her face with her hands as a stick dropped to the ground. Visi stopped and looked back in time to see Nosha bleeding from a small cut right in the middle of her forehead. She smiled and continued walking towards her house, pretending not to see two little legs crawling in a side window. She walked into the house, and I looked in through the window that Felix had crawled through just in time to see him crawl under a blanket of a little bed and pretend to be asleep. Visi walked in and smiled, unconvinced by his acting skills._

_“Oh, I must have been mistaken. I thought my son may have been the little warrior who threw the javelin, but I suppose it must have been someone else. Perhaps Cato?”_

_“Cato??” Felix asked as he sat up, his face horrified. “Cato can’t even throw a rock into the water!” Visi laughed and walked over sitting on the bed pulling Felix into her lap._

_“Of course I knew it was you, what other child can throw so well?” She said proudly as she kissed his head, holding him close to her. “Now, why did you hit Nosha in the forehead with a stick?” She asked calmly, stroking his hair so he knew she wasn’t angry._

_“Because hitting her in the eye would have made her be dead.” He answered simply, as though the answer were obvious. Visi chuckled._

_“Felix, why did you hit her?”_

_“She said mean things to you, no one should ever say mean things to you.” Felix insisted._

_“And why did you run from your mama and pretend to be asleep?” She asked patiently. Felix looked down, playing with a strand of his mother’s long hair._

_“So you wouldn’t be mad I followed you to hear about papa.” He confessed. Visi frowned._

_“Felix, I will never be mad that you want to hear about your papa. But sometimes, adults speak of things that little children don’t need to think about. Do you understand, my love?” Felix nodded, still looking down._

_“Yes mama.” Visi smiled a sad smile and held Felix closer to herself._

_“But, since you are thinking about it, I need to tell you something very important.”_

_“What is it?” He asked as he looked up at his mother._

_“Your papa is very brave to go and fight the Romans, but as Nosha said, it is an impossible fight.”_

_“Do you think we’ll lose to the Romans, mama?” He asked, his blue eyes full of uncertainty no child should know. Visi shook her head._

_“I don’t know what will happen, each day holds a new mystery that we only see when the time is upon us. But I want you to be prepared, Felix.” She held his little face in both of her hands and looked into his eyes. “No matter what happens, I will always love you with all of my heart. You have a fighting spirit, just like your papa, and that is something that even Rome cannot take. You will survive, and you will thrive no matter where you are. I am always with you, no matter what separates us.” She took off her necklace and placed it around Felix’s neck. Felix looked at her with huge eyes that were both sad and confused, he didn’t seem to fully understand why his mother was speaking this way. He thought for a moment, and then seemed to remember something else._

_“Mama, how do you know when to kneel?” Visi smiled slightly._

_“You will know when the time comes, my love. You never kneel because you are afraid, you kneel when someone has earned the privilege of your loyalty. You’ll know such a time when it comes.” She smiled and kissed his head. “Don’t be afraid, my love. Great destinies require great sacrifices, and pain is not something to run from when you have something to fight for.” Felix nodded and cuddled closer to his mother, still seeming confused and his eyes starting to fall closed._

_“I love you, mama.” He said as he curled into her arms, his eyes staying closed._

_“I love you too, Felix.” Visi kissed his head and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders, humming a soft tune while stroking his hair until long after he had fallen asleep._


	52. Memories Part 3

_This time, when the scenery around me started to change, it wasn’t a swirling of color. Everything got darker, like the lights were dimming. When the scenery around me had reformed, it looked like the sun was just rising over the hill in the distance. The sound of horses brought my attention to the hill at the edge of the ocean of golden grain. The village started to stir, and women started coming out of their houses and looked at the horses in the distance. Visi smiled when she saw the horses in the distance._

_“Felix!” She called, running inside. “Felix your papa is home!” She rushed back out of the house smiling and holding a very sleepy Felix._

_“Hmm?” He asked as he rubbed one eye with his fist, stifling a yawn. “What?” He said as he started waking up more. “Papa’s home??” He asked with excitement, suddenly wide awake. The complete joy that lighted up his face, I could tell he really loved his dad._

_“Yes!” Visi exclaimed. “He’s home.” Still carrying Felix, she rushed out to meet him. Other women and children also followed after her, eager to finally embrace their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons and welcome them home. Visi stopped not far passed the edge of the village, something wasn’t right. As they rode closer, none of them were waving, or saying anything, and there was a liquid dripping under the horses. Shielding Felix’s eyes by pressing his face into her shoulder, Visi ran to what must be her husband’s horse. The man riding the horse was huge, well over six feet tall and obviously muscular. The armor and helmet he wore only added to his size, but aside from his size and physique I could see little more resemblance between he and Felix. Visi held Felix close to her, still shielding his eyes, as she reached her husband._

_“Alexander?” She said, fear and hope trembling in her voice. Her hand touched his leg just as another woman screamed. Horses started collapsing, and when they fell sideways the helmets fell off of the heads of the men of the village revealing swords stabbed into their heads sealing them to the horses that they rode. The corpses had been dead for several hours, possibly days. Their faces stained with long-dried blood as their glazed over eyes stared at nothing. Screams and sobs began to echo around the gruesome scene; Visi’s eyes were wide, and yet she did not panic as the others did. She held Felix close to herself and started running towards the grain; but before she made it, an arrow came from the fields and shot her straight in the shoulder, making her fall on her back completely stunned._

_“Mama!!” Felix screamed, pulling the arrow out of his mother, and covering the wound with his hand. At that moment, hundreds of Roman soldiers ran out from the field of grain and began attacking the villagers. Visi recovered her senses and sprang up running towards the village, still holding Felix as he clutched the bloody arrow in his little bloody hands still trying to stop the bleeding. The villagers began retreating, but the Roman soldiers had surrounded the village on all sides and were still pouring out from their hiding places. Chaos ensued; the screams of women and children as metal penetrated flesh echoed throughout the village as blood poured into the soil like rain. Soldiers were grabbing women by their hair and ripping their children from their arms; some were stabbed, others were receiving a beating while still others were being boarded inside their houses as torches were being lit. Visi was running towards the tree line on the far end of the village, the only place where soldiers weren’t pouring from. A soldier ran up and grabbed her raven hair yanking her backwards, causing her to lose her grip on Felix._

_“Ah! No!!” She cried as she tried to pull herself free to grab her son, who had fallen on his back to the ground. The soldier raised his sword to run her through, when Felix leapt from the ground, stabbing the arrow into the soldier’s eye. The soldier released Visi’s hair as he screamed in pain, blood pouring down his face from his socket, but Felis wasn’t done. Holding on to the shoulder of the soldier with his feet pushed against his chest, Felix broke the arrow in half and started hitting the end of the arrow with is palm shoving it deeper into the soldier’s eye. He had fallen to the ground, the screaming had stopped, but Felix still hit the arrow deeper into his socket with an unbelievable rage in his eyes. Visi appeared behind him, pulling him off of the body and continuing to run._

_“Felix, I love you. Everything will be alright. You’ll be alright. I’ve got you. I love you so much.” She kept repeating as she ran faster, tears streaming down her face. They had almost made it to the edge of the forest when a sword ran straight through her chest, stopping her in her tracks. Visi fell to her knees._

_“Mama!” Felix cried, tears falling out of his horrified eyes as he grabbed his mother’s face with both of his hands. Visi smiled slightly, gently stroking her son’s cheek as she took one last shallow breath. The sword was pulled out of her chest as her eyes closed and she fell forward, her grip finally loosening on her son._

_“NO! Mama please get up! We’re almost there!” Felix desperately tried to pull on his mother’s lifeless hand, trying to pull her towards the woods as a laugh erupted from above him._

_“How pathetic.” The soldier said in disgust, his sword still dripping with Visi’s blood. “Get over here.” He said as he reached for Felix, still trying to revive his mother. As soon as he grabbed Felix, he yelled in pain and threw him to the ground before I could even see what happened. His hand was bleeding, and Felix spit out a large chunk of flesh from his mouth. “You little bastard!” He exclaimed as he backhanded Felix across the face. He grabbed Felix by his throat and lifted him off the ground, drawing him closer to himself so he could see the life leave his eyes. This was when I noticed the gash on Felix’s side. Blood was dripping down his side and onto the ground, the sword having injured him when the soldier stabbed his mother. The soldier chuckled as Felix struggled to breathe, but he was oddly still. Suddenly, a flash of metal glazed across my line of vision as I saw little Felix shove a blade into the arm of the soldier. The soldier cried in pain and dropped Felix, who still held on to the knife. The empty sheath on the belt of the soldier proved that Felix had just stabbed the man with his own blade. Before the soldier could recover, Felix shoved the knife into the soldier’s leg, making him fall to the ground. Before the soldier had reached the ground, Felix had jumped on top of him and began stabbing his face with the knife. I had never thought that such rage was possible in a child, but the stabbing continued until long after the face was beyond recognition. Two other soldiers came over and one pulled Felix off of the dead soldier as the other took the knife and then raised his own sword to kill the struggling little boy._

_“Stop.” A commanding voice said behind them. All three froze at once, as their eyes turned to the man speaking. He was on a horse and dressed in clean armor, obviously a high-ranking commander and yet did not seem to have seen recent battle. “Save him for the colosseum, he looks like he’ll give the crowd a bit of a show.” He chuckled slightly, and then looked slightly behind him and his face turned annoyed. “Stop quivering, don’t you want to see the reward of your actions?” He said as he reached down beside his horse and grabbed an arm, pulling Nosha into view._


	53. Memories Part 4

_Nosha was shaking with tears streaming down her face. She was dirty, and there was dried blood on her feet as though she had walked a long way._

_“My lord, please.” She begged as she sobbed. “You promised to show mercy!”_

_“And mercy I have shown!” He exclaimed as he tossed down her arm, causing her to fall. “See how quickly these heathens have died? Much more merciful than they deserve.” He turned his attention back to Felix, still struggling in the grip of the soldiers. “Toss him into the cart with the others, they’ll be toughened up and then tossed into the personal arena for when the Senators return.”_

_“Wait!” Nosha cried, grabbing on to the man’s leg. “My children! You promised that my children would not be taken as slaves!” She plead fervently._

_“Ah, yes, of course. Bring me the spawn.” The commander waved his hand lazily. Nosha sobbed in relief as a soldier walked up pulling a young boy with dirty blonde hair and an even younger girl with wild, tangled curls even lighter than her brother. The boy was probably around 9, while the girl may have been around 7._

_“Mama?” The little girl asked, obviously scared and confused. She went to run to her mother, but the soldier grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back._

_“Give them their freedom.” The commander ordered. The soldier placed one fist across his shoulder and bowed his head in respect before grabbing the two children and dragging them over to a house that had already been boarded up aside from the door. He walked inside, grabbing a large sack from another soldier as he passed. He grabbed the boy first, dropping him in the sack and then his little sister before swiftly tying it closed._

_“What are you doing?! What is he doing with my babies?!” Nosha cried as she ran to stop the soldiers. One of the soldiers holding Felix kicked her down and then stood on her hair so she could only watch._

_“I’m giving them their freedom. After all, I promised that your children would not be tossed into the pits with the others.” The commander explained, obviously amused. The soldier grabbed one of the cutting stones that was already in the house and stabbed the squirming sack into one of the wooden columns of the little hut house and walked out, closing the door. Another soldier walked over and tossed a lit torch inside and stepped back as the house caught fire._

_“You promised you would spare our lives!” Nosha screamed as she reached hopelessly for the burning house from which her children screamed and cried for their mother._

_“No. I promised that_ your _life would be spared, and I granted your request to live as a slave. I promised that your children would not be sent to fight to the death as the others and you see they have not.” The commander waved his hand once more. “Take her away until we’re done here and toss him in the cart with the others.” He motioned to Felix as he spoke. The commander rode away as the soldiers dragged Felix over to a large, wooden cart filled with crying children. The cart was like a large wooden cage on a horse-drawn carriage; many children in the village were already dead, but the cart was still already overfilled. The soldier threw Felix into the cart on top of a few other children that he was playing with just yesterday. Blood streaked his little face and stained his curls, his hands still red with his mother’s blood and his leg still bleeding. He grabbed the bars of the cart and shook them as though he could break them, but they wouldn’t budge._

_My heart broke as I watched the gruesome scene unfold. Despite what I had just witnessed, I could feel nothing but pure hate for Nosha. Because of the selfishness of this one woman, so many people lost their lives. Their men were ambushed and suffered who knows what before their deaths, woman and children were beaten, murdered, and burnt. The surviving children seemed to have an even worse fate before them from what I had gathered, fighting to the death for some private entertainment. Looking at the children, knowing how they played together I just couldn’t imagine it. But I’m sure that the soldiers would do something that would make it happen. How they would accomplish this, I had no idea. They had mentioned training, but they were only children. What training could that possibly entail? Seeing their home, their families, taken and destroyed they would be terrified. The entire situation was simply barbaric, and my chest hurt wondering how many of these children would even live to see their next birthday. My heart broke all over again for Felix as my eyes landed once more on Visi’s corpse, and my hatred for Nosha only grew. If she had never done this act, would Felix’s life have been different? Another pain filled my chest as I imagined a reality in which I never knew Felix, and I chose instead to refocus on the scene before me._

_The screams of Nosha’s children had finally stopped as the flames consumed the house, just as many other houses in the village were consumed that day. None of the adults were spared but Nosha, who had been tied to a horse near the front of the village, so she had the best view. Nosha sobbed as she watched the house in which her children were burnt, and her eyes raked across all of the bodies laying on the ground as the severity of her actions sank in. Her gaze finally met the fierce blue eyes of the little boy with black curls staring at her from the wooden cage._

_“One day, I will kill you.” Felix promised. It didn’t seem like such a threat now, with a child so young. But knowing what he would grow into, it held much more severity. I wasn’t sure if Nosha had even heard him over all the noise, but I knew that she understood what he had said. Once the village was completely destroyed, the soldiers gathered their weapons back from the dead and began the journey back to Rome._


	54. Frustrations

_***Felix POV***_

She hadn’t been in the room with Aro for very long, but the last thing that was said was Aro asking if he could try again; presumably his power. Only the two Swan sisters had ever been immune to his ability, and yet he had made the comment before that Belladonna was not immune at all. I didn’t understand the comment, but Aro prefers to wait until the right moment to give a more theatrical reveal of his answers. I knew that Aro wouldn’t hurt her, but it still made me anxious for her to be anywhere without me. She was more than right, she deserves answers more than any of us, but would he give them to her? She doesn’t know him like we do, and I’m sure she still questions his intentions. What if she got upset over something he said and harmed herself because of high blood pressure or lack of sufficient oxygen? Knowing she was pregnant with three, that made every single movement that much more dangerous. Suddenly I heard a human heart racing, the pulse quickly getting fainter. It didn’t even take a full second for me to rush into the room, only to see Belladonna clutching on to Aro’s hand; her eyes wide and unseeing, while his were wide in fascination.

“ _Cara mia?_ ” I quickly caught her right as she was falling, letting go of Aro’s hand. Thankfully, as soon as she lost contact with Aro her pulse started getting stronger.

“What?” She asked in confusion, blinking rapidly as though she were confused about where she was. She looked at me for several seconds before her eyes went wide in anger. “No!” She said as she stood up. “I have to know the rest!” She exclaimed, grabbing for Aro’s hand again. Aro stepped back, but to human eyes I’m sure he didn’t even appear to have moved.

“Fascinating.” He said in wonder, still eyeing her as though she were a captivating puzzle.

“Aro!” She said with indignation in her voice, grabbing for his hand once again. The movement almost made her fall on her face, but I caught her in time. This time I simply picked her up, not trusting her to stand on her own.

“What happened?” I asked, looking between her and Aro. Aro just smiled as though he was pleased with the result of whatever just occurred.

“We’ve solved the problem, just as I predicted. But I’m afraid that may have been a bit much for her in her current state, she should probably go get some rest.” Aro said as he turned and walked over to a discarded book on a table a short distance away.

“No! I want to finish it! I have to see what happened! We didn’t _solve anything!_ ” She was getting worked up again, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to get her to calm down. Didn’t she know that squirming like this was dangerous?

“Did you find a way?” I asked, looking at Aro. He stopped and looked at me, as though unsure of the question I was asking. “The pregnancy.” I said as I looked down at Belladonna. She finally calmed down as though she just remembered what she initially came here for.

“Oh, yes of course.” Aro smiled as though that were never an issue. “I was quite certain before, but now there is no doubt whatsoever. Everything will be fine; she’ll carry to term.” Relief flooded my being, and yet I was confused. I hadn’t heard them discuss anything regarding a solution. I looked down in my arms and could see that Belladonna was just as confused as I was.

“How is that possible?” She asked.

“You’re a bright one, my dear.” Aro said, smiling to himself as he picked up his book. “You’ll figure it out on your own. Felix, you should take her to get some rest. Demetri will be back with Jane and Alec within a few days.” He returned to reading his book, clearly expecting us to leave. I knew better than to think that he would give any other answers at this time, and so I carried her out of the room.

“No! Put me down I wasn’t done!” She said, squirming to get down. You would think that she would have learned by now that she isn’t going to actually succeed in getting down, but that never stopped her from trying.

“ _Cara mia,_ please stop. You’ll hurt yourself. Aro is right, you need to rest.” I tried to reason with her.

“He did that on purpose!” She insisted, crossing her arms but seeming to give up. Her behavior was odd; she was usually so calm. Something must have happened to have set her off like this.

“Did what on purpose, _piccolina?_ ” I soothed as I laid her on the bed, covering her up. I placed a cup of blood in her hands that Renata had left on the table while she was gone and stroked her hair. After a few moments, she started to calm down.

“Ended it early.” She sighed and took a drink from her cup. “I was seeing his memories, or someone’s memories, I don’t know. But I didn’t get to see it all, it ended early and I didn’t get to see what happened and I know he had to have done that on purpose!” She was starting to get heated again as she took a drink from her cup, but all I could hear was her saying she was seeing his memories.

**********************************************************************************************************************************

_***Donna POV***_

I was trying to explain my frustration to Felix when I realized that he looked like a very surprised statue.

“What?” I asked, setting my glass between my legs. “Don’t look at me like that! You would be frustrated too! I’m sure he’s done that to you before, what does he think it’s funny?!”

“ _Cara mia_ ,” He interrupted. I loved it when he called me that, I was beginning to like it more than my own name. “Aro can’t show you anything.”

“What?” My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Don’t be ridiculous, he has the memory thing.” I tried to reason.

“Aro can see every memory and thought a person has ever had with a single touch, yes, but he can’t show those memories to anyone else.” Felix explained, still looking at me as the look of surprise on his face turned into one of amazement.

“Then how did I see it?” I asked. “I didn’t see everything he ever thought, just some specific things. That’s why I thought that he was showing it to me.” Felix shook his head.

“I don’t know why, but it must be part of a gift you have. It appears to be much different than we originally thought.” He said, looking at the blankets in deep thought as though he were trying to connect two things in his mind. Suddenly he shrugged, and all semblance of deep thought was gone as though it didn’t matter. “The answer will present itself in time.”

“How can you do that?!” I exclaimed in frustration. “How can you just let him keep away an answer that you know he knows? What about the babies?!” I asked, trying to motivate him to press the issue with Aro. He only chuckled and kissed my forehead, taking my now empty cup and placing it on the table.

“Aro is a different breed, _cara mia._ He isn’t going to tell anyone anything he doesn’t want to. If he says it will be fine, it will be fine.” He said as though the answer were obvious.

“But how do you _know_ it will be fine?” How could he have so much trust in him to just accept it so easily?

“I know him well. Trust me, if he says it will be fine then that is one less thing for you to worry about.” I sighed in defeat, knowing I wasn’t going to win this one. I was feeling very tired, I guess that did take a lot out of me. It was amazing how it seemed to me as though I were in there seeing the memories for days, but I remember when Renata went to get the blood that was still warm when I drank it so I couldn’t have been gone for very long. I curled up under the blankets, and fell asleep thinking of a pair of vibrant, electric blue eyes.


	55. Rosalie

_***Rosalie POV***_

“Rose?” Alice knocks on my door for the thousandth time. “Rose, we’re almost ready to go.” Her voice was timid and persuading, as it always was when she came to speak to me. But I haven’t said a word to her, Jasper, Edward, or Bella since the night they got Donna killed. I silently walked out of the room and passed Alice, who was looking at me with huge, penitent eyes as I stalked passed her. Jasper was standing behind her as he always did, you would think those two were physically attached. If only they had kept such a watchful eye on those who were truly vulnerable when it counted.

“Rose…” Jasper reached out to touch my arm, but I snarled at him, baring my teeth making him pull his hand back away from me. I knew that he could feel what I did, and it brought me little comfort to know that my presence brought him just as much agony as I was in every day. He had tried many times to use his ability to ease my suffering, but after that caused a brawl he hadn’t tried since. Knowing being near him caused him pain was the only way I could stand being near any of them anymore; if they had been watching her none of this would have happened. I replay that night, just mere weeks ago, every day.

* * *

_***Rose’s Memory***_

_There was smoke in the distance, indicating that there was a fire somewhere in town. A large one, by the looks of things, but nothing that concerned me. I was always relieved when Emmett and I finally graduated high school; the wedding, going off on another honeymoon, being able to have more freedom without causing suspicions with the humans. But this time, I had wished that I could have passed for younger; it was the night of the prom, the first time Donna got to go. She didn’t want to, of course, but Alice and I had insisted. Every teenage girl needed a chance to go and turn heads, to have fun and dance the night away. It wasn’t Donna’s style, but I knew it would be a good experience for her. I wished with all my being that I could have gone with her, she would have had so much more fun with me there._

_Alice and Jasper were supposed to keep an eye on her, of course. Make sure that she had a good time and that no one gave her any trouble. I wanted the night to be magical for her. Of course, I knew that Bella and Edward would be too absorbed in each other to notice her existence, as always, but Alice and Jasper knew better. Still, Alice would be surrounded by her mate, her best friend, and her favorite brother, Donna would barely be higher on her priority list than the other humans present. She needed me there, someone who would give her attention and keep an eye on her. So she would have a friend there, and wouldn’t feel as though she were alone. But I was too old to go, supposed to have already graduated. Emmett had assured me that it would probably be best to let Donna go on her own anyway, since no one would have a chance to look at her beauty if they were captivated by mine. I loved the looks I got, of course, I adored being the most beautiful creature in the room, maybe even in existence. But Donna deserved that, too. She was so overlooked by these simple-minded idiots, members of my family included, she needed a night to shine. And with that in mind, I stayed home. I had given her my car, made sure she looked beautiful, and Alice and I had gotten her dressed as the goddess she was. She was so stunning, I wished I could have seen her at the dance._

_It was before 11pm that I had gotten a call from a police officer that my car may have been involved in an accident, and immediately I knew something had happened to Donna. My heart sank as I thought of the fire, and I ran as fast as I could towards it. It was dark, not that it mattered to me in that moment, as I ran as fast as I could all the way to the fire. The fire department had already arrived and was attempting to put out the flames, small explosions still taking place. A gas station had exploded, and through the flames I could make out the melted remains of my car, with a human body inside of it._

_“DONNA!” I screamed as I started to run towards the fire._

_“Rose, no!” Edward said as he grabbed me, pulling me back. Jasper soon joined him until we were a safe distance away. I looked back to see Alice’s huge eyes staring at the flames and then meeting my gaze. The panic, helplessness and guilt told me all I needed to know. She knew that this was their fault. Bella was clinging to Alice, not understanding what was happening, still not knowing that her little sister was at the very center of the flames. Emmett showed up with Carlisle in his car, as he started mumbling instructions to the others while Emmett grabbed me before I dashed into the series of explosions._

_“Rose, it’s too late.” He said, already running back home. “She’s gone.” I could hear the pain in his voice, but I was unwilling to accept it. Emmett had to take a longer route home since we were running, so we arrived only seconds before the others pulled in to the drive._

_“What happened?!” I demanded; Emmett still had his arms around me, holding me back from attacking my siblings. I knew he thought I would regret it, but in this moment I would trade all four of their lives for hers._

_“Rose, please calm down.” Jasper soothed, calm radiating from his being. Alice couldn’t look up; her eyes were downcast, and she looked as though the world were weighing on her thin little shoulders. It all made me angry, where was this sense of responsibility_ before _this had happened?_

_“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I snapped, lunging at him. Emmett kept his grip, though I knew that with one word from me he would let go. I was very tempted to make him release me._

_“We don’t have all the facts, Rose.” Carlisle reasoned. “Please, let your siblings explain.” I knew he mentioned the familial bond in hopes that I would remember that I did in fact love my family, but I would never forgive them for this._

_“I’m sorry.” Alice said quietly, finally meeting my gaze._

_“What is going on?!” Bella demanded, her confused eyes not registering anything at all. She obviously didn’t know what was happening, they hadn’t told her. Edward was holding her protectively, and I could tell that he didn’t know how to tell her._

_“What is going on?” I seethed. “Your sister is dead because everyone was too busy paying attention to_ you _to watch her!”_

_“Rosalie!” Edward growled as he held Bella closer, her eyes registering shock and hurt as she looked at the ground, mouth agape, as she processed my words. Of course she was shocked, she was so absorbed in her own self-view that she never even noticed how many people had changed their worlds to revolve around hers. I hissed and lunged at Edward, but Emmett still held me back._

_“Let’s all assess the facts.” Carlisle interjected. “Jasper, please tell me what happened.” Carlisle was hurting too, I could tell. He despised the loss of human life, he valued all of it so dearly. Especially those that he actually knew, like Donna._

_“We were all inside,” Jasper began, the only one who was in perfect control of himself for a change. “when at some point, Donna must have slipped outside.”_

_“At some point?” I hissed. Carlisle held out a calming hand, but I barely paid attention. None of them even knew when she wasn’t in the building, it was a mistake to have trusted she would be safe with them._

_“When we heard the explosion, Alice and I went outside to look for her. Judging by her scent, she went outside and walked around before she danced with a partner, and then her scent led to the parking lot.” Jasper had stiffened when he said, ‘with a partner.’ And I could tell that Carlisle had noticed too._

_“Do we know who the partner was? Perhaps there was a fight, a reason she would have left early.” Carlisle encouraged. Jasper sighed._

_“There was the scent of another of our kind outside.” Jasper admitted. I immediately saw red as I fought Emmett to get to one of them, any of them._

_“She was outside with an immortal and you didn’t even know about it?! You were paying so little attention you had no idea when another one of our kind was DANCING with her just outside, and you didn’t even notice when she wasn’t there! Did her life mean nothing to you?!” I was screaming at them at this point, and I was just opening my mouth to tell Emmett to let me go, when he spoke first._

_“Rose, please!” He pleaded. “It won’t bring her back.” I stopped fighting him as his words sank in. He was right, nothing would bring her back now._

_“Whatever happened out there, it upset her. We found a message on Bella’s phone that she was going home early, and it wasn’t long afterwards that the explosion happened.” Jasper finished. Emmett slowly loosened his arms, testing to see if I would try to kill a member of our family, but instead I bolted in the other direction. I ignored them as they called after me; Edward was the only one who would be able to catch me, and he wouldn’t leave Bella. I had to know if it were true, I had to be absolutely sure. I investigated the scene after all humans had left, although there really was nothing there. The fire had destroyed everything; the building, the pumps, my car, there was only rubble and ashes left. I stayed away and watched as they processed the body, which was burnt beyond recognition; passed even bone or dental recognition. The diamond earrings that Alice had given her to wear though had still survived in her ears, and that’s when the pain truly hit._

_Her mother and her stepfather flew in the next day, already a wreck since long before they arrived. Charlie didn’t say anything, he simply stood there in silence with a dead look in his eyes as tears rolled down his face. I understood; as Emmett said, nothing that was said would change things now. Her funeral had to be a closed casket service; there was hardly enough left of her to place in the casket in the first place. It seemed as though everyone in Forks had shown up for her funeral, though I couldn’t help thinking that it would have meant more if they had shown her this devotion while she was alive. Several members of the Quileute tribe were also in attendance, nearly all of the reservation had been in attendance. Emily Young cried the entire time while an old woman called Mother Aponi seemed to be praying through her tears the entire service. Leah Clearwater, though tears streamed down her face, simply stared accusingly at the back of Bella’s head._

_It was determined to be an accident; evidence on the road showed that for some reason she had lost control of the car and crashed into the gas station, triggering the explosion. So many things could have caused her to crash; an animal in the road, a patch of gravel, a sharp turn, dampness in the road, or simply impairment from being upset and possibly crying. Regardless, it was simply written off as a horrible, tragic accident. When we got home from the funeral, Jasper tried to touch my arm to relieve the agony he knew I felt, but the second he had made contact with my skin I was on top of him. Emmett intervened before Jasper had actually fought back, but it took both Carlisle and Edward to pull Emmett off while Alice soothed Jasper, calming him down. It seemed like a betrayal to Donna to ease my pain, the constant reminder that when she needed me most I wasn’t there. My pain brought Jasper, Edward, and Alice pain, thanks to their abilities. It wasn’t near enough for what had happened, but it was something. This way, at least, they would never be able to forget her again._

_***End of Memory***_

* * *

Since the night of her death, I hadn’t said one word to my siblings. They had all tried to move on; Bella and Edward were planning on getting married, and tomorrow we were fighting an army of newborns created by Victoria. I couldn’t care about any of it, but I would still fight to protect my family. I knew that Donna wouldn’t want me to be this way, she would hate it if she could see me now. My mind went back to that day not so long ago when I had first brought Donna home, and she had outrageously set everything up so I could get away with her murder if I had deemed killing her necessary. I scoffed at the thought of it, shaking my head. There was nothing to be done about it now. For the moment, I had to focus on preserving the family I had left.


	56. Tomorrow

_***Demetri POV***_

It felt wrong, all of it was very wrong. Typically, Felix and I were together wherever we went in general, but always when sent on a mission. He and I had always worked together since I joined the Volturi over a thousand years ago. Although Amun had been the one to create me rather than Aro, Felix and I have always been brothers. This was wrong. Not being here with Felix, watching the newborns wreak havoc and risk exposure of our kind and not doing anything about it. Just standing on a building day and night, observing and watching them break the laws we uphold; it was all wrong. Wrong, but temporary, I tried to remind myself.

“What’s wrong, Demetri?” Santiago asked. I hadn’t really said a word to him at all this entire trip. I didn’t dislike him, of course, but he wasn’t Felix.

“He’s still sulking.” Jane replied indifferently. “He misses his boyfriend, but he should get used to it now.” She smiled her devious, cherubic smile. “His priorities aren’t going to change anytime soon.” She chuckled.

“Come on, Demetri.” Santiago tried, nudging my arm in an attempted playful manner. So horribly irritating; this must be how Felix feels around Ash. “We’ll be headed home soon. This should all go down tomorrow and then we’ll be headed back.”

“But he also knows that when we do go home, Felix will have higher priorities. Other things on his mind. Are you worried about being ignored, Demetri?” Jane taunted.

“Jane.” Alec chimed in. “Don’t be cruel. You want to see them too; would that make you forget about me?” He asked, looking at his sister. Her eyes went wide in horror that he would think such a thing.

“Absolutely not!” She turned fully towards him, as though to start imploring that his conclusions were baseless, but he began speaking before she could.

“The same could be said for them. Don’t taunt him so, save your talent for those we _want_ to torment.” He concluded, gently brushing his sister’s cheek in an affectionate gesture. Alec was typically very quiet, and hardly ever contradicted his sister, but I appreciated his sentiment. Much like their abilities, Jane reveled at causing pain and Alec preferred to end it. He was the voice of reason to her sadistic tendencies, the perfect pair. Jane pouted slightly for a moment, then turned her attention back to the scene below where the newborns were fighting amongst themselves once again.

“We’ll be able to go home soon, then this mess can finally be cleaned up. A very satisfactory end considering how long we’ve had to watch them run amok.” She commented, changing the subject. Alec smiled and turned his attention to the scene below to match his sister, content knowing that the issue was resolved. Jane frowned, obviously disliking where her thoughts were taking her.

“Tomorrow, sister.” Alec reminded her. Jane wasn’t very thrilled to be here either. Typically, she loved being sent to carry out an execution. A mess would appear and Jane, Alec, Felix and myself would all travel together to go and resolve the issue. However, this time we were simply there to observe and distract. Time was too sensitive of an issue right now, and we couldn’t afford any mistakes. Jane, more than any of us, wanted to be home right now watching the human and feeling baby kicks. But we were needed here, to make sure that the Cullen’s were given an adequate distraction during this crucial time. That was why we couldn’t interfere; we had to wait until they acted, and then assess to ensure that they had bought the story of Belladonna’s death and were not looking for her. Once that was settled, then we could return home. But simply spying on them would be too risky, and we could take no chances, so we needed an excuse to closely observe. And tomorrow, that would finally rise to its peak. Although the awaited time was merely hours away, the sun seemed to choose this particular evening to take a fucking eternity to make an appearance in the sky. We would complete our mission and be home by tomorrow, if it ever got here.

“It seems like a long time.” I observed, Jane turning her head to look at me before returning her gaze to the primitive display below. “Not knowing how the change is progressing, having an eternity and yet the days seem to drag on.” I didn’t have to look at her to know her face had gone stoic. I knew she felt it too; the impatience of it all, the inaction only making time drag on more slowly and extending the time that was keeping us from where we wanted to be. Her, because she wanted to see the babies, and myself because I had never been without my best friend for so long before. Of course, I knew that he would have different priorities now, but that wouldn’t change our relationship that drastically, would it?

I was overjoyed, of course, that Felix had finally found his mate, but I hadn’t prepared myself for the day it would actually happen. And with a human, no less. Perhaps Edward Cullen had set a trend; although, that credit would technically have to go to his sister Rosalie. Her mate was human when she knew he was the one. Dying, but still human. I wonder if those bonds are as strong as others say they are; perhaps it would provide some form of entertainment if I had a tryst with the beautiful blonde. That would certainly make the time go faster, and it would also allow us to get close enough to see if they believed the story. I inwardly sighed; I knew that wasn’t an option. Despite my charm and skill, she was oddly attached to her mate and that would still raise the question as to why I was here in the first place. No, the only option was to stay with the mission and follow the plan, no matter how much we all disliked it. Finally, I turned my attention to the brightening of the clouds on the horizon. It was time for us to move from the building and position ourselves in the woods where we could observe the battle from a distance. Finally, tomorrow was here.


	57. Dreams Part 1

_***Donna POV***_

_When I opened my eyes, everything was dark. Not the kind of darkness you see at nighttime, but more of a dimness you would see in a movie when something bad is about to happen. It was hard to make anything out, it almost seemed like a fog was obscuring the scenery. I must be dreaming, though my dreams usually weren’t anything like this. I heard screams from children, and that’s when my vision started to clear. I was standing in what appeared to be a stone structure that was mostly underground. The walls were all carved out of the earth and enforced with stone and there were doorways that seemed to lead into tunnels; there were also little crude cells that lined the walls, and some cages scattered around the floor. The only light was coming from high above me, where the only thing I could really make out was the sky. The opening shed light on a large circular clearing in the middle of the room I was in but did little to light the edges where the clearing didn’t reach. This seemed to be some kind of old, primitive prison, but why would I dream of such a place?_

_The sound of a child screaming drew my attention to one of the darker corners of the prison and saw what looked like Roman soldiers drag children in through one of the doors. I was already beginning to recognize some of them, even before I saw Felix get dragged through the door. The children were all dirty, some were bruised and bleeding, and they were all very thin. I realized that this wasn’t a dream after all, I must be seeing more of the story. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I would guess it had been several days at least considering how thin all of the children were. When I looked closer, they all seemed to be in the same clothes that they had been in the day the village was attacked. The soldiers lined the children up against the wall and started roughly slicing off their hair with knives; my heart broke a little when I saw Felix’s curls fall to the ground, although he didn’t really move. Most of the children squirmed when their hair started to be pulled, some even tried to hit or bite the soldiers or run away, but Felix stood very still without even looking in their direction like he was mentally somewhere else._

_Once the soldiers were done cutting off their hair, they herded them together in small groups while soldiers came in and tossed buckets of garbage on the ground. It seemed to be things that you would typically toss out; overripe fruit, rotting meat, discarded pieces of vegetables, and partially eaten bits of food. After a moment of looking at it, it occurred to me that they expected them to_ eat _it. Not only that, but I could already tell that there wasn’t enough for everyone._

_“This is what you’ll be given.” One of the soldiers said. He seemed to be the one in charge at the moment, though I didn’t see him when they ransacked the village. “You will be given nothing else. The more you can gather for yourself, the more you will have. For those who are too slow, too weak to gather their own food, they will go hungry.” Now I understood, they wanted them to fight for it so they wouldn’t starve. The children all looked at each other, and although I knew they were desperately hungry they all walked up to the garbage on the ground and started dividing and sharing it with each other. None of them had enough, but all of them ate something. As I watched them sit in little circles around tiny piles of garbage, the colors around me started to shift. The scenery passed in a blur so I couldn’t see anything clearly, but I knew that time was passing. I saw rain come in through the opening of the wall, children progressively getting thinner, and muffled voices passing in a blur._

_“This is taking too long.” I recognized the voice as one of the soldiers from the village. “They’ll all be dead before the Senators arrive; we’ll have nothing to offer them for entertainment.”_

_“Patience.” The commanding officer insisted. “They’re getting close now. Hunger will take over and they’ll begin to fight. This will prepare them perfectly for the Senators. We may lose a few, but the ones who survive will be exactly what we need.”_

_It didn’t take long for his prediction to come true. All it took was one boy venturing from his customary circle, trying to take a rotting apple from another circle without being noticed for a fight to break out. It was almost instantaneous, like everyone was waiting for it to happen. One moment, there was an exclamation of, “hey, that’s mine!” and suddenly all of the children were fighting, trying to take food away from each other. It broke my heart to see the children who used to play so happily together, who all went hungry so everyone could eat something, beat each other bloody for pieces of rotting meat and vegetable husks. I knew it was selfish of me, but I felt a little better knowing that Felix would be able to eat now; even if it was hardly able to be called ‘eating’. Felix was a good fighter; I knew he would be able to beat the other children there. I was surprised when I saw him over in a corner by himself, eating what he had originally and just watching the other children brawl. As time passed, the fights only got worse. Felix never participated if he could avoid it, which I thought was strange. I knew Felix could easily get more food, even at such a young age. He had already proven in the village that he could beat most if not all of the children there, why didn’t he so much as try? Some of the children grew much thinner, some were starting to finally gain weight. The soldiers were becoming increasingly cruel, until one day the children were all shoved into individual cells along the wall. Thus far, they had never left the large open clearing. They all huddled against the wall for some semblance of shelter when it rained, but they had never been put into cells before. For the next week, the children were individually given more food. It at least looked more edible, although it still looked as though it belonged in the garbage. Compared to the food they had been fighting over though, it was a large improvement. The children on the brink of starvation were looking much better, and I was relieved that they were separated so they wouldn’t have to fight for their food. After one week of the children being in individual cramped cells and being fed multiple times a day, it suddenly stopped. They were given no food for three days, while the soldiers filled basins of water in the next room. I couldn’t see them very well, but I could hear what the soldiers were saying. Most of the conversation was uninteresting, but through one comment I learned the reason for the change in pattern._

_“The Senators are coming tomorrow.”_


	58. Dreams Part 2

_The poor kids were stripped and held under water in the basins to soak off the filth that had accumulated during the several weeks they had been there. Their hair was cut even shorter than before by the soldiers and they were given rags to tie around their waists while the soldiers burnt the clothes they had been wearing. After they were deemed presentable, they were led up several stairs and herded across a large stone courtyard into a large building. The children went in alone, and entered a large room with high, stone walls. Above them, there were hundreds of well-dressed men sitting on all sides like they were attending a theatre performance. They were elevated high above the bottom level, so that they could see whatever happened very clearly but were in no danger of being part of it themselves. Near the center of the room were four large pieces of freshly cooked meat hanging suspended from ropes. That’s why they had made them go for days without food, so they would be hungry enough to put on a good show. The commanding officer stood near the edge of one of the levels and started speaking in a loud, clear voice._

_“Only four will finish. All others must be completely incapacitated and unable to continue before the winners may eat. If you attempt to break these rules, you will be killed.” He paused for a moment, searching the faces of the children to ensure they understood before he smiled. “Begin.”_

_The effects were immediate. All of them wanted the meat, only having tasted rotting garbage since they were ripped away from their homes and families. I had never seen them fight this way before, the complete desperation made them even more brutal than when they had fought each other for food before. For the first time since they got there, I saw Felix fight, too. Watching the others as a whole, I finally understood why he hadn’t participated before. Most of the other children were already injured from recent fights they had had, and still healing injuries from the village raid, and that was slowing them down. Felix had no such injuries, and his wounds from the village were the most healed since none of them had been reopened in a recent fight. I was both amazed and a little disturbed that he had planned for something like this, even as such a small child, but I couldn’t be upset about it; it gave him an advantage. The spectators cheered and shouted, and even started making bets over who would make it while the floor below was quickly turning into a bloody mess. It took a while, but eventually, Felix and three other boys were the only ones left standing. The other children were either unconscious or beaten too badly to get back up. The Senators cheered, and the commanding soldier nodded as the boys ran up and each pulled a piece of meat off of the suspending rope._

_The boys ate with desperation, afraid that any moment it might be taken away. The Senators laughed and argued amongst themselves, discussing the outcome of their bets and exchanging coins to those who had chosen a victor. The soldiers were strangely quiet, and some of them had even disappeared. I had thought at first that it was to retrieve the children from the ground, the ones who had lost, but then I heard the growling. Everyone froze as the growling drew closer, followed by a high-pitched hysteric laugh. I had only seen them before in a zoo, and those seemed like babies in comparison to these. Three spotted hyenas entered, and my blood ran cold. The fight between the children wasn’t the main event, it was the slaughter. Although the children wouldn’t have stood much of a chance against hyenas anyway, this basically guaranteed their demise. Most of the children were already seriously injured, they were all covered in blood, and some of them were holding meat. The cheers from the Senator’s erupted at the same moment the hyenas attacked; one of them attacked the boy to Felix’s left who was holding the largest piece of meat, one attacked the bloody children who were trying to crawl to safety, while the last one attacked Felix._

_The attack was brutal. The screams of the children all but drowned out the cheers from the spectators above; it was horrible to watch. The boy with the largest piece of meat was probably the first to die, though I can’t be sure, so many died so quickly. Children were being torn apart as the majority of them were trying to gang up on one hyena, but that only made the animal lash out more and provide less fatal wounds in an effort to protect itself. Felix was bleeding but had managed to crawl on top of the hyena with his arms around its neck. He was attacking its eyes, and although it flailed and hit itself against the wall it couldn’t get him off and couldn’t reach him to do more damage. Unable to do much else, Felix latched both of his arms around its neck and held on as tightly as he could. After a few minutes, the hyena threw itself to the ground in an attempt to get him off, and soon neither of them moved. The last hyena had gone to join the one attacking the injured children, having finished off the meat. They had managed to kill the first one, but the second hyena had finished them off and was now feasting on the remains. Felix quietly crawled out from under the one he had killed and grabbed a bone from the discarded scraps the first hyena had left. Absorbed in its meal, the last hyena had turned around too late. Felix used the jagged edge of the bone to repeatedly stab into the neck of the hyena until long after it was dead._

_The room had gone mostly quiet by the time Felix had dropped the bone. Bloody and out of breath, he walked over and sat by one of the boys who still had some meat in his hand. Felix pulled the meat from the hand and laid back. When the Senators had realized what had happened, they cheered at the unexpected outcome. No one had expected that much of a fight, let alone a survivor. The soldiers seemed a bit stunned, they had clearly not expected any of the children to survive. As chatter broke out among the Senators and soldiers, Felix just lay in the middle of the bloodbath, eating._


	59. The Newborns

_***Jane POV***_

We waited until the battle was over before we made our appearance. We stayed far enough away so that Edward couldn’t read our thoughts. That would be the most difficult part, in my opinion. It was inconvenient that Edward could read thoughts from a distance, we would all have to mind our thoughts during this hopefully short encounter. That isn’t an easy task when everyone wants to be home. I knew that Alec and I would have no trouble with it, we were too efficient to make such careless mistakes. Demetri also wouldn’t be a problem; he was almost as efficient as we were with these things. The only thing I was worried about was Santiago. He didn’t typically accompany us on missions, and I hated going on such an important one where mistakes were so easily made with someone less efficient than what I was accustomed. No one wanted to be here with so much important things going on at home; Felix finally found a mate, and, most importantly, she was going to take us into a new era.

When we first learned of this, Alec was worried I would be jealous. Which, given my actions when she arrived in our home and used my own power against me upon our very first encounter, I can understand why, but he had no reason to worry. I will always be Aro’s favorite daughter, no matter how many sisters I gain. I hated the Cullens for making me miss even a moment of this historic occasion. I was gaining a new sister, she was going to give birth to an amazing source of power, and I had to be out here babysitting love-struck children and a bunch of mutts. But I knew it was necessary; we had to ensure that Felix’s theatrics were believed and that no one was looking for her. Victoria, the jittery little shrew, provided us a perfect excuse. Of course, we could have easily destroyed this nonsense at its conception, but Aro’s plans must always be followed to the letter. We needed an excuse to get close to the Cullens, and also to ensure that they thought our main focus was on the humanity of Edward’s pathetic little mate.

Finally, the last of the guard dogs had departed and we could make our appearance. Caius couldn’t know about this; he would start a campaign himself to make up for that fight he lost so many years ago against a werewolf. I focused on my distaste for the situation so that Edward wouldn’t know that I knew about it either. I could tell when we approached that they didn’t want us there as much as we didn’t want to be there. Good, this shouldn’t take long. I glanced at Alec and Demetri one last time before we got into range, I knew their thoughts were in check. I didn’t bother with Santiago; it would be better if I could simply pretend he wasn’t there. 

"Hmm.” I looked around, appraising the situation.   
"Welcome, Jane." Edward's tone was coolly courteous as we closed the distance. He was obviously trying very hard to control himself, all his instincts poised to protect his mate. I took my time looking at the faces of the Cullens and then the newborn girl behind them; as if they could protect her.  
"I don't understand." I tried to feign interest in the situation, pretending as though all of this were new information.   
"She has surrendered." Edward explained, as if that made any difference.  
"Surrendered?" Why they would spare an enemy was beyond me, but the Cullens weren’t known for rational decisions.

"Carlisle gave her the option." Edward shrugged as though that explained everything.  
"There are no options for those who break the rules." I said flatly. Their stupidity never ceased to amaze me.   
"That's in your hands. As long as she was willing to halt her attack on us, I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught." Carlisle reasoned. I never understood why Aro was so drawn to this strange creature, I don’t even hear him speak of Sulpicia with as much reverence as he does Carlisle. It was one of the few things I didn’t understand about Aro, and today would obviously not provide the answer.   
"That is irrelevant." I reminded him.  
"As you wish." Carlisle conceded, smart man.   
"Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see you, Carlisle. He sends his regards." Carlisle nodded at my comment.

"I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him."  
  
"Of course." I smiled, now for the fun part. I focused my attention on the battlefield, almost for dramatic effect. "It appears that you've done our work for us today, for the most part." I looked at the quivering excuse for a vampire cowering behind the Cullens. "Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle."  
"Eighteen, including this one." Carlisle answered.  
"Eighteen?" I tried to sound surprised. The pleasantries were an unfortunate part of my job, but I needed to keep them talking.   
"All brand-new." Carlisle said dismissively. "They were unskilled."  
"All? Then who was their creator?" I asked.   
"Her name was Victoria." Edward answered, I could tell that hit a nerve.  
"Was?" I pressed. Edward looked towards a mountain, indicating another pillar of smoke. So, he cleaned up that mess for us too, how convenient. "This Victoria, she was in addition to the eighteen here?"  
"Yes. She had only one other with her. He was not as young as this one here, but no older than a year." He clarified.  
"Twenty, then. Who dealt with the creator?" As if he didn’t already make it obvious.   
"I did." Edward answered, the tenseness still in his voice. I suppose I’ve touched enough nerves for one day, I was ready for this to be over with.   
"You there." I said, turning my attention to the newborn. "Your name." There was never a good time to try my patience, but especially when there were other places I would rather be. She looked around at her make-believe saviors, as if they could save her. I smiled at her; I love this part of my job.   
Her scream was almost instantaneous, they melody of it filling the air so abruptly only Edward was prepared for it. She writhed in pain as I taught her the last lesson she would ever learn; not to try my patience. The human nuisance looked like she was about to cry; pathetic.   
"Your name." I said once more, giving her a break from the pain. She should be grateful she’s getting another chance.  
"Bree." The girl gasped; how fitting, it sounds like a name for street trash. She looked so helpless, I might as well have a little fun while I’m here.

She started screaming again as my gift made her pain even more intense than before.   
"She'll tell you anything you want to know." Edward said through his teeth. "You don't have to do that."  
"Oh, I know.” Leave it to Edward Cullen to ruin my fun. "Bree, is his story true? Were there twenty of you?" She answered quickly this time, seems as though she finally learned something.

"Nineteen or twenty, maybe more, I don't know!" She cringed, terrified that her ignorance might bring on another round of torture. Good, she learned two things; what a progressive day for her. "Sara and the one whose name I don't know got in a fight on the way." She babbled.   
"And this Victoria, did she create you?" Mundane questions, but hopefully Alec was taking in the reactions of the others.   
"I don't know. Riley never said her name. I didn't see that night, it was so dark, and it hurt." She shuddered as she continued her whining. "He didn't want us to be able to think of her. He said that our thoughts weren't safe."  
"Tell me about Riley. Why did he bring you here?" Direct questions were best for the mentally inept.  
"Riley told us that we had to destroy the strange yellow-eyes here." She spoke more easily now, encouraged by the lack of pain. Foolish girl. "He said it would be easy. He said that the city was theirs, and they were coming to get us. He said once they were gone, all the blood would be ours. He gave us her scent." Bree lifted one hand and pointed towards Edward’s mate. "He said we would know that we had the right coven, because she would be with them. He said whoever got to her first could have her."

"It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part." I noted.   
"I don't know what happened. We split up, but the others never came. And Riley left us, and he didn't come to help like he promised. And then it was so confusing, and everybody was in pieces. I was afraid. I wanted to run away. That one said they wouldn't hurt me if I stopped fighting." She explained as she looked at Carlisle and then immediately back to me.   
"Ah, but that wasn't his gift to offer, young one." I murmured; it was unfair that Carlisle gave her false hope. "Broken rules demand a consequence." She looked at me, her eyes not comprehending in the least. I looked up at Carlisle. "Are you sure you got all of them? The other half that split off?"  
"We split up, too." He confirmed.   
"I can't deny that I'm impressed. I've never seen a coven escape this magnitude of offensive intact. Do you know what was behind it? It seems like extreme behavior, considering the way you live here. And why was the girl the key?" I looked at the pathetic human who shrunk back from my gaze. How fitting, a coward to live with the pacifists.   
"Victoria held a grudge against Bella." Edward said, it seems I had struck another nerve. I couldn’t help but laugh, he was just too easy to torment.   
"This one seems to bring out bizarrely strong reactions in our kind." And her sister, but I couldn’t think of that yet. Edward’s arms tightened protectively around his little parasitic mate.  
"Well, it appears that there's not much left for us to do. How odd." I said, ready to get on with this. "We're not used to being rendered unnecessary. It's too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch."  
"Yes," Edward answered quickly, his voice sharp. "And you were so close. It's a shame you didn't arrive just a half hour earlier. Perhaps then you could have fulfilled your purpose here." If I weren’t in a hurry to get home, I may have punished him for such an insinuation. It would appear audacity is yet another toxic trait of Edward Cullen.

"Yes. Quite a pity how things turned out, isn't it?" I smiled at him, which only seemed to sour his mood further. I turned back to the newborn, still looking around in horror and confusion. “Santiago?”   
"Wait." Edward interjected. I raised an eyebrow; surely he wouldn’t try to stop us from carrying out a punishment?  
"We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing." He said quickly, looking to Carlisle for support.   
"Of course." Carlisle nodded. "We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree." Of course he would, although their reason why was beyond me.   
"We don't make exceptions, and we don't give second chances. It's bad for our reputation. Which reminds me," I looked back at Edward’s mate; time to permantly fix their thoughts in a new direction. "Caius will be so interested to hear that you're still human, Bella. Perhaps he'll decide to visit."  
"The date is set." Alice chimed in. "Perhaps we'll come to visit you in a few months."

“I’m sure we all look forward to it.” I said as I turned my attention back to the newborn. "Take care of that, Santiago.” Time for her to learn her third and final lesson. “I want to go home." Life shows no mercy.  
Edward shielded the eyes of his mate while Santiago dismembered the girl and turned her to ash.

“Until next time.” I smiled angelically to the ones left alive, all with pained expressions on their faces. Finally, we could go home.


	60. Names

_***Donna POV***_

“Oh, no. We are not naming our children that.” Felix argued.

“Yes, we are.” I insisted. He didn’t have to agree, they were coming out of my body and I already know what I’m naming them with or without his approval.

“ _Cara mia,_ be reasonable. Can’t their names be something they won’t eternally hate?” He tried.

“Hate?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “And what’s wrong with the names?” He looked like he was trying to word things carefully, smart man. These babies were coming out very soon and my temper was very unpredictable.

“There isn’t anything wrong with them, they’re beautiful names, but think of how life will be for them living with them. They’re very unique, but they could very easily hate you for giving them such odd names!” Oh, that’s where he was wrong.

“No they won’t.” I smiled while his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll just tell them that you picked the names.” It was hard not to laugh when he face-palmed. He wasn’t going to win this; he just didn’t know he’d already lost.

“Don’t give her such a hard time, bro!” Ash jumped up, draping his arm over Felix’s shoulder. I swear that boy has a death wish, or absolutely no common sense. “I really like the names; I think they’re great.”

“Ash. Stay out of this.” Felix warned.

“What? They’re great! I’m surprised you didn’t come up with them yourself, they’re like from your culture ya know?” I was about to warn him not to go there, but I could hear the glass shattering before I could even open my mouth. Poor Ash. Oh well, we were only on the eighth floor; he’ll be fine.

“What did Ash do to get himself tossed out a window this time?” A familiar voice asked.

“Probably something stupid, as always.” Came Jane’s stoic reply.

“I honestly don’t think he knows how to act otherwise.” Felix said as he shook his head. Strange, I would have thought he would have been happier to see Demetri after all this time that they’d been apart.

“They’re jumping for joy on the inside, don’t let it fool you.” Alec answered my unspoken thought. He was so quiet; I hadn’t even realized he was there. “They just don’t want to be teased by Jane.” He chuckled, seeming oddly mature for his stature. I hadn’t really interacted much with Alec, or with Jane for that matter. All I knew is that when Jane wanted to attack me, Alec held her back.

“We’re smart enough to know that nothing will prevent Jane’s teasing.” Demetri chuckled. “I’m just relieved Belladonna hasn’t killed you yet.”

“A tragedy, to be sure.” Jane said placidly before looking over to me and smiling. “I heard something about baby names?” She said as she walked over towards me. She knelt down and started to touch my stomach and then stopped, looking up at me for approval.

“Go ahead.” I took her hand and placed it on my stomach, right where the strongest kicking was. Jane’s smile lit up her entire face, and in that moment she looked so much like the excited child she was.

“Hello, little ones.” She said in delight as the babies kicked her hand, obviously showing off. “I heard something about names.” She looked up at me. “What are their names?” I looked at Felix and then pulled Jane up by her hand and whispered the names in her ear as her cherubic smile got wider. “They’re perfect!”

“Felix doesn’t like them.” I said pointedly while raising an eyebrow at Felix.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with them.” Jane glared at Felix as though she were about to use her gift on him. Suddenly her gaze flitted to Alec, and a twinge of jealousy made her anger all but disappear. Demetri laughed.

“Surely they can’t be that bad.” He looked over at Felix, obviously highly amused. “You also can’t expect to win a naming war against the mother, she does have a bit more leverage in these situations.”

“Alright, alright.” Felix said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I can see when I’ve lost an argument, and I’m clearly outnumbered here.” He chuckled and shook his head.

“He’s always more agreeable when he’s with his boyfriend.” Jane smirked.

“Told you so.” Alec snickered quietly while Demetri and Felix glared at him.

“Boyfriend?” I raised an eyebrow. “Do I have some competition?” Felix and Demetri both looked at me, trying to decide whether I was serious or joking. “I think I can remedy that situation.” I cocked my head to the side and grabbed Jane’s hand looking at Demetri.

“ _Cara mia,_ no!” “You can have him!” Felix and Demetri said at the exact same time while Demetri shielded his face with his arms and Felix grabbed my face to turn my gaze towards him instead. I started giggling and Jane genuinely laughed for the first time since I’d known her. Felix blinked in confusion while I took his hands off my face and kissed him on the cheek.

“I was just joking; I know there’s no competition.” Felix relaxed as Demetri slowly took his arms away from his face and started laughing along.

“That was a good one.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“I like her.” Jane smiled looking at me, and I knew that this was a rare honor; Jane didn’t seem to actually like many people.

“I don’t know, you two together might wreck too much havoc on this place.” Alec said smiling. I could tell that he was very pleased that we seemed to be getting along so well.

“How wonderful, you’re home at last.” Aro said as he entered the room and proceeded to walk right passed all of us. “Come along now, dear ones. Not a moment to lose.”

“Where are we going?” Felix asked.

“Now that everyone is here, we must get to work immediately. It’s time to begin the procedure to deliver the children.”

“What?!” Everyone replied in unison. Right now? Surely he didn’t mean _now._ We needed more time.

“No time like the present.” He said as though mocking my inner monologue. “It’s time.” We all stared at each other, I genuinely thought that Felix and Demetri might faint. They probably would have, if they had the ability. But Aro was serious, it was time for the babies to arrive.


	61. The Triplets

I knew that the day would be approaching soon, but I didn’t know that it was _today._ I wasn’t ready to be a parent, and I suddenly realized that I didn’t trust Aro enough to deliver my triplets while keeping me alive. What if this were the plan all along? To just breed me and then kill me? Felix was holding my hand in his and looked almost as scared as I was, only I knew he was more worried about me than anything else. It was in that moment that I realized how much I actually did care about him. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but when I looked at him all I could see was a little boy with black curls and electric blue eyes clinging to his mother. Would our children do the same with me? How would life be for them, being here? What if I was a bad mother? What if something went wrong and I didn’t survive this? What if something went wrong with the babies?

“There’s no need to fret, dear one.” Aro’s voice broke through my thoughts. I was laying in a bed with bars on the sides, trying to keep me comfortable. “Everything will be just fine.” Aro smiled down at me as Jane brought a small table to his side. I couldn’t see what was on it, aside from a very strangely shaped knife that was on the very edge. Felix was next to me, holding my hand, while Aro was down by my rapidly moving stomach; the babies were anxious, too. Demetri and Jane stood by my feet while Alec stood on the opposite side of Aro. It was clear there was a plan here, I only wish someone would share what it was with me.

“Are you sure she’ll feel no pain?” Felix asked, looking at Aro.

“Do you truly doubt my ability, Felix?” Alec asked. “I’m heartbroken at your lack of trust.” Alec smiled teasingly, though I knew that didn’t help Felix’s anxiety at all.

“All will go flawlessly.” Aro smiled and turned his attention back to me. “Now, dear one, all you must do is relax. Alec is going to ensure you don’t feel a thing during the procedure.”

“How are you going to get them out?” I asked looking up at him. I hoped I didn’t look as terrified as I felt. Aro reached over to the table and grabbed the strange knife.

“This is made from extracted vampire teeth; the only thing that will be able to break through the barrier.” He explained. “Once they’re safely out, then we’ll close you back up. Simple as that.” He smiled and I was suddenly made very uncomfortable exactly how many times these vampires had operated on me. At least this time I knew what they were doing; I hope.

“Everything will be alright.” Felix soothed while stroking my hair with worried eyes. “I promise.” I offered up a small smile that I’m sure seemed more like a grimace and then took a deep breathe. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable; time to become a teenage mother.

“Alec.” Aro nodded towards Alec while Alec very gently grabbed my other hand. At first, nothing happened, and I worried if I would repel this power too. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to will my weird reflective ability to just take a break this once. It took several more moments, but eventually I realized that I couldn’t feel my arm. This relaxed feeling came over my entire body below the neck and I realized I couldn’t feel anything at all. I just hoped that it would last the entire time, I didn’t want to relive that horrible day in Port Angeles. Aro used the knife to cut quickly; there was this horrible sound like steel grating against steel, then blood flowing onto the bed. I looked around at the vampires present, but none of them even flinched. Suddenly, I could hear the sound of a baby crying. Before I could locate the source of the sound, Aro placed a little bloody, screaming child into my arms; it was a boy. I was in such shock that he was actually real, I had never seen such a beautiful baby. As soon as he was in my arms, he calmed down and curled into my chest. He had a head full of black curls, and when he opened his eyes to look at me, I saw the same electric blue eyes that I had seen through Aro’s memories.

“He’s perfect…” Felix breathed as he looked at the baby in wonder. I couldn’t help but smile.

“He looks like you.” I said as I held him up to Felix. I never wanted to let him go, but Felix should get to hold him too. Felix held our son like he was made of glass. It was something I would always remember; Felix holding such a little baby. The baby looked even smaller when Felix held him than when I did, probably because he was so large. The sound of more crying brought back to my attention that we weren’t done yet. This cry wasn’t quite as loud, more of a distaste of being disturbed. Aro placed another red child in my arms, another boy. Oh dear gods, did I just produce a small army of little Felix’s? The little smiling face looking up at me was much more content than his brother. That was, until he tried to bite me. I saw it coming and poked his nose with my finger.

“No.” I said as I looked at him. His little lip pushed out in a pout and his eyes grew wide, but he didn’t cry. He also had a head full of hair, but it wasn’t like his brother’s. His hair was a very light brown, almost a dirty blonde. His eyes were also blue, but they weren’t the brilliant electric blue like his brother. His eyes were the deep, beautiful color of the ocean. Felix chuckled at the baby’s pouting face, and I realized that he wasn’t holding our son.

“Where’s the baby?!” I exclaimed, holding the baby in my arms tighter. He wasn’t holding any more children if he was going to lose them.

“Don’t worry, _cara mia._ He’s just getting cleaned up, I promise. Look.” He motioned to where Jane and Demetri were having a silent argument over a squirming little bundle. From the looks of things, Jane was winning. I calmed down after knowing where he was and handed Felix his second little mini-me. There was no crying, so I was almost surprised when Aro placed a tiny cooing baby in my arms; a little girl. She didn’t cry at all, she was simply cooing and looking at me quizzically as though I held the answer to some mystery for her. She smiled and grabbed at my nose. She caught my finger instead, but she seemed satisfied. As much as our first son looked like Felix, she looked like me. She had a head full of pale, blonde hair and pale blue eyes the color of the sky. Of course, she wore it better than I ever could. They were perfect. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how we could create such beautiful, flawless angels. They just didn’t seem real.

“She looks just like you.” Felix said as he wiped one of my tears away with his thumb. I hadn’t even realized I was crying, but in light of the situation I would be concerned if I weren’t crying.

“Thankfully, she wears it much better than me.” I chuckled as I handed him our daughter. As soon as she left my arms, I began to feel very light-headed. I suppose the recent events were starting to take a toll on me.

“Nonsense, you look exactly alike.” He argued as he cradled the little bloody bundle in his arms. She was noticeably smaller than either of her brothers, and almost completely disappeared in Felix’s arms.

“Are you still going to argue with me about the names?” I said teasingly. Felix smiled as he handed our daughter to Jane.

“Of course not.” He said as he kissed my head. “The names are perfect.”

Before I could say anything else, I noticed Aro grabbing a large syringe from the table full of a strange colored fluid. The last thing I remember seeing was the syringe going towards my stomach before everything went dark.


	62. Bundles of Warmth

I remember feeling very, very cold. And I felt a sharp, burning sensation in my abdomen. I couldn’t move, and I had no idea what was happening. I couldn’t open my eyes, and I couldn’t feel where I was. Fortunately, the pain didn’t last long, but as soon as I noticed it was gone, I instantly wanted it back. I could feel nothing, hear nothing, see nothing. I had never truly understood what people meant when they had mentioned the absence of everything, the presence of absolutely nothing, but that’s what I was experiencing now. Surely this couldn’t be death, death was supposed to be peaceful. I finally began feeling heat on each of my arms and my chest and felt instant relief. Feeling something was confirmation that I was still present _somewhere_.

The warmth was very comforting, until it started moving. And making noise. The noise kept getting louder, and louder, and then one of the warm spots on my right arm was gone. Then the one on my chest. I turned over and curled around the one on my left arm so it couldn’t escape, and that’s when I realized that I could move. As I listened carefully, I registered that the noise was crying. Lots of crying. I instantly knew it would be the babies and my eyes popped open. The little remaining warm spot that I was curled around was our middle son, looking up at me with those huge ocean-like eyes as though he were waiting for something. I looked around for the other three and noticed Felix and Demetri struggling with little screaming, squirming bundles. Demetri was trying to feed our little girl and Felix was trying to feed his little mini-me; neither were having success.

“Shh, you’re going to wake your mother. You don’t want to be rude, do you?” Demetri was trying to reason with the baby, obviously unsuccessfully. Felix was trying a different method, persuasion.

“Stop being difficult! I know you’re hungry why won’t you just eat??” He was staring at the screaming little boy in confusion, completely unable to understand what was wrong.

“Here, give him to me.” I sat up and held out my arms towards Felix.

“He’s being very difficult right now; you should be resting.” His expression of confusion turned to one of concern as soon as he realized I was awake.

“She’s awake!” Jane burst in the room and the next moment she was laying my eldest son in my arms. His little brother was highly displeased at the lack of attention, but Jane picked him up and soon solved that problem.

Apparently, the others were waiting for me to wake up to come in. Jane, Alec, and Renata, were suddenly present in the room, swooning over the babies. As soon as our eldest was in my arms, he instantly calmed down and took the little metal bottle. He really was hungry. Our daughter wasn’t really hungry, she just wanted her dad, as Demetri discovered when he handed her off to Felix. But when Felix offered her the bottle, she took it anyway.

“I think we’ve found something cuter than you, Jane.” Alec teased as the baby in Jane’s arms gripped his finger.

“I’m ok with that.” Jane said dismissively, the smile never leaving her face.

“Wow, who would’ve thought? Even the one that looks like you is cute, Felix.” Ash was suddenly present, standing over the bed and looking down at the baby in my arms. Felix rolled his eyes.

“Ash, do you want to get tossed out another window?”

“Hey, hey, you can’t show such violence in front of your own kids!” He was suddenly over by Jane, peering at the baby from over her shoulder. “Who won the fight over the names?”

“Belladonna did, naturally.” Jane commented, ignoring him otherwise.

“What?” Renata stopped playing with the baby girl’s hair to look up. “Does everyone know their names but me?” She asked, exasperated.

“Oops, did you not get a chance to say them yet?” Ash looked up at Felix, checking to see if he’s close enough to get tossed out another window. “My bad.”

“Oh, no, please, you’re on a roll over there. Keep it up, you haven’t been thrown off a pyramid yet.” Demetri said, shaking his head.

“Yes, he has.” “Yes, I have.” Felix and Ash said in unison. I rolled my eyes, apparently being around babies turned them into children.

“Sorry, Renata.” I apologized. “This little Felix lookalike is Atronis Demetri, Jane is holding Lakosen Alecander, and Felix is holding Celona Rosalie.” I said as I named off our little bundles. After seeing some of Felix’s childhood, I wanted to name them after something that would mean something to him. The three fates just seemed to fit. Of course, I had to modify the names a little, but that’s what inspired them. The middle names were equally meaningful. Demetri, because he’s Felix’s absolute best friend, Alecander is a mix between Alexander, Felix’s middle name, and Alec. Rosalie is, of course, after Rosalie. I miss her so much. I wonder what she would make of this situation. I know how badly she wanted children; how would she feel about mine? Who their father was? How they came to be? But right now, Rose thought that I was dead. I would have to find a way to reach her, but I couldn’t think about that right now; there were too many observant vampires in the room.

“Well, those are certainly…” Renata seemed a bit at a loss of what to say.

“Perfect.” Jane stated, glaring at her. “They’re perfect.” Renata quickly looked back down at Celona.

“Yes, of course they’re perfect. Just like they are.” She smiled and played with the baby’s fingers. I didn’t care if no one else liked the names. I loved them, and I thought they fit them perfectly. If they didn’t like them when they got older, they can go by a nickname or their middle name. But I had a feeling they would like their names. Unique children needed unique names. I smiled and cuddled Atronis, who was quickly falling asleep.

“Amazing.” Felix said, watching the little bundle in his arms. “They can sleep. I wonder how many human traits they’ll exhibit.”

“Time will answer that question.” Demetri smiled, taking Lakosen from Alec. I frowned. Surely they wouldn’t treat my children like experiments or things to study? They seemed fascinated with them now, but what if the novelty wore off? I looked at Felix holding our daughter, and I knew that he wouldn’t do such a thing. But I couldn’t be sure that the others wouldn’t. The triplets were so innocent, I couldn’t let them be exposed to the horrible possibilities that could happen to them here. I needed to find a way back home.


	63. A Black Mist

As the days went by, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to leave on my own. There was simply no way I would be able to get the triplets out with me under the nose of the largest coven on earth. Even though I did have free reign _inside_ , I highly doubted that the same would be said for going _outside._ Besides, I really didn’t want to leave Felix behind either, and there was no way I could drag him out of the building. So, the only way to leave would be to get help. As surprisingly well as I was getting along with everyone, I knew that none of them would help me leave. Felix was the most likely candidate, which was good because I wanted him to come to, but he was very loyal to Aro, so I had absolutely no idea how to convince him. Even if I had access to a phone, which I didn’t, what good would come from calling anyone? Rose would come, of that I was certain, and Emmett would go with her, but even if the entire family came, they wouldn’t be a match for the Volturi. They would all be killed, and then my situation would be worse because none of them would be happy with me, which they are very pleased with me at the moment.

I have never seen anyone spoil anything like these vampires are spoiling my kids. If any of them cry they’re immediately swept into someone’s arms and offered blood, soft human food, stuffed toys, small animals that came from who knows where, and what looks like some crown jewels from some kind of treasury. I couldn’t imagine any of them hurting the babies or using them for experiments, but could I take that chance? After all, I still don’t understand what happened to me that day in Port Angeles, or that first time I came to Italy. The wives had said that Aro knew I would have multiples; did that have something to do with it? For a while I wondered what it was that Aro injected me with when he delivered the triplets, and while I still don’t know what it was, I’ve felt absolutely fine ever since I woke up. I’m not an expert on childbirth or delivering half vampire half human hybrids, but I’m pretty sure that I had it extremely easy.

Speaking of not being an expert, I’m also not an expert on children. But I’m pretty sure that kids don’t grow as fast as mine are. Less than a week old, and already they’ve grown to nearly twice the size they were when they were born. At first, I just thought it was because they were small babies, but this growth rate has continued and I’m beginning to get worried. I know that since they’re half immortal they aren’t going to have the same growth rate as a human, but will they ever stop? Surely, they would have an extended life, not a shortened one, right? And their growth isn’t the only thing of concern. It started with Atronis; Felix was holding him while he was crying and Aro was trying to make it better with some kind of jeweled box, when his hand started _cracking._ Aro’s hand had taken on a blackish hue and cracks started to appear up his arm. As soon as I saw it, I took Atronis from Felix while Felix studied Aro’s arm in alarm. As soon as Atronis was in my arms, he calmed down and the blackness in Aro’s arm disappeared, allowing it to heal.

“Fascinating.” Aro breathed in wonder, still looking at his arm.

“What does this mean?” Felix asked, looking at our now peaceful son, cuddled in my arms.

“He won’t hurt himself with it, will he?” I asked, coddling my baby. I couldn’t blame him, there were times I wanted to make Aro’s arm shatter too. Seemed natural to me.

“I assumed they would be gifted, but this is interesting indeed.” Aro said, still staring at his healed arm in fascination.

“I wonder if it was just because he was upset.” I deduced aloud. Atronis giggled and grabbed one of my fingers, he thought it was ingenious.

“I’m sure it was.” Aro said in wonder. After a few more moments of staring at his arm, he smiled and looked down at Atronis, seemingly coming back to the real world. “Well, I think it’s obvious who his favorite is.”

“Every time.” Felix faked heartbreak, always so easily distracted. Aro chuckled.

“I’m sure it will even out in the end. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He said as he basically floated away. Even out in the end? What was that supposed to mean? With Aro, it always meant something.

I knew that Felix would be difficult to convince, but hopefully he would be able to see that this wasn’t the safest place for the babies, or me for that matter. I had just gotten the kids to sleep when I went to find him, he had been pulled away by Aro a little while ago, but I assumed that they should be done by now. I stopped walking when I heard voices in the next room. Assuming it was Aro and Felix, I stopped so I wouldn’t interrupt. When I was able to pay closer attention, I realized it wasn’t Aro and Felix at all; it was Marcus and Caius.

“I still say that it’s too much of a risk.” Caius hissed, obviously pissed off.

“Calm yourself, Caius. It’s best to just leave Aro to his games. We’ll have no peace until we do.” Marcus said in a longsuffering tone that showed he wasn’t really paying attention to what Caius was saying.

“No peace indeed! Did you have any idea about any of this before it arrived at our door?!” Caius demanded.

“If I was informed, I did not commit it to memory. I have no interest meddling in business that is not my own.” Ouch. Marcus must either be tired of living or not care at all if Caius explodes. It’s no secret that Caius has the worst temper out of the three.

“He didn’t even consult us! Not once! On a matter as important as this!” Caius whined.

“You know that he had his reasons for keeping it secret. Any of us could have been being watched by the fortune teller at any time.” Marcus commented, obviously bored. Caius sniffed as though he had been insulted.

“And what of her mortality? The serum is obviously not working as Aro had hoped, I say it’s time to give up on that endeavor.” Serum? What serum? And what does it have to do with my mortality? Marcus sighed and closed what sounded like a book.

“If it worries you so much, brother, then why don’t you go and speak with Aro about it yourself? He will obviously have more satisfactory answers than I will. As for the current circumstances, there is no danger. She can go nowhere, and if something goes amiss then it can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.” With nothing else to say, it sounded like Marcus just left the room. Caius scoffed, obviously insulted again. I wasn’t about to stick around to see if Caius would use the door I was close to in order to leave, I needed to figure out what the hell I just heard.


	64. Blood and Conquest

_***Aro POV***_

“Get out! And don’t even think about coming back down here until such nonsense is out of your head!” I could feel my face distorted in rage as I took very deliberate breathes to keep myself as calm as the situation would allow.

“Brooding in a room by yourself Aro will not change the fact that you are wrong and demented! You have pulled some outlandish antics, but this surely proves that you’re out of your mind!” Sulpicia answered my glare with one of her own, although it looked much more regal on the queen of the vampire world than it did on her husband, I’m sure.

“Mind your tongue woman! This is not a matter of your concern!” I turned away from her and attempted to calm myself. I hated allowing my temper to get the better of me, but Sulpicia always seemed to be able to coax it out during a disagreement.

“Are you to tell me that I married a lunatic? See reason, Aro! Surely even you must see that your ambition is doomed to fail. Your lack of insight is going to be your downfall and then who will you have left to blame but yourself?”

“How _dare_ you question my judgement?!” I was in her face in an instant, my nose nearly touching hers. As expected, she didn’t even flinch.

“Surely you must see it.” She reasoned. “You will lose more than you wish to gain if you continue down this path. Damage is already done from your misguidance at its beginning, but if you change course now then the losses won’t be so great.”

“You’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” I said as I turned away, walking away a few paces to put some distance between us. “There was no misguidance in the beginning. Only things not accounted for.”

“You sent him to rape her and cut her open! What did you _think_ would happen?! You’ve not only driven her away from him, but also yourself.” It was true, the only way I had coerced Felix into doing the task was to threaten to send someone else if he did not wish to comply. Although that was before, when Felix still had blind trust in my guidance for everything in his existence. Now, things were dangerously close to unravelling.

“How was I to know that humans react so dramatically these days! You were never such a problem.” Sulpicia shook her head and walked over as I felt her small hand grab my shoulder, her voice softer now.

“Aro, things have changed since we were mortal. Humans don’t go around kidnapping spouses anymore; the world is made up of more than conquests and bloodshed. It isn’t the same as when we first met. No matter how long you live or how many eyes you see through, you always seem to forget that the world today is not the world you were born into.” Her sentence was left unfinished, but I know the end that she was implying. It was not a place where in order to get a wife you kidnapped her from her home. It was no longer a world of conquest and bloodshed. I sighed, suddenly no longer in the mood to argue with her. I need time to think.

“I’ll think about it.” I conceded. It seemed to be enough for her.

“I’ll go check on Athenadora.” She knew if she really wanted me to think about what she said, I needed to be alone. When she left, I finally had the space to think.

If things had gone according to plan, things may in fact be different. If everything had worked out as I had foreseen, everything would be perfect by now. But there were complications. Belladonna’s gift was not what I had initially believed it to be. The Swan sisters were an interesting pair. Considering Isabella’s gift was to be a mental shield leaving her unharmed to even Jane’s ability, it only made sense that Belladonna, her little sister, would simply deflect the gifts of others. That’s what it had seemed to be at the time. That’s what I had based my calculations on. But I was wrong. Of course, I had no way of knowing what her gift truly was at the time, humans can only exhibit so much of their gifts while they’re mortal and I had only seen her gift a few times. Through my own eyes and through the eyes of Felix, Demetri, and Edward and Alice Cullen. Unfortunately, none of them had been around her enough at the time in order for me to see what her gift truly was. I had no idea until after Belladonna had escaped that day in Port Angeles. When I had seen through their eyes what had happened, it was painfully clear where the error was made. Since then, I had made adjustments to correct it, but only so much could be done in such a short amount of time. Belladonna did not simply reflect, but she absorbed them into herself first. Her gift was not limited to supernatural gifts, either. She absorbed so much of those around her, all while she was still human, I can only imagine the possibilities of her as an immortal.

When Felix returned from his surveillance mission with Demetri, I knew before he did that Felix had found his mate. Felix did not understand at first why he did not feel contempt for this human, but as soon as I saw things through his eyes, I had known. He was overjoyed, of course, I was beginning to think Felix would never find a mate. It was of little concern that it was a human, these things can be easily amended. His mate was human, and a _gifted_ human. I had sent Felix back at once with Demetri to learn more about the humans that were now very friendly with the Cullens. My initial thought, and the easiest path, would have been to simply change her and for Charmion to make her content until those feelings were genuine, but when Felix and Demetri returned, Felix was against that course of action. After watching the girl interact with the Cullens, he was uncertain that she would want to be changed. The notion was endearing, but it complicated things.

However, with this complication came a wonderful opportunity. I saw the opportunity to try something that had never before been successfully attempted: an immortal human. Of course, samples of Belladonna’s DNA would be required, which she so generously (albeit unknowingly) donated upon her first trip to Italy. Upon rigorous exanimation and experimentation, it was determined that it would theoretically be possible. Unfortunately, she would likely not survive the procedure unless venom were already inside her. Easier said than done, as the venom could not enter the blood stream or else the changing process would begin. To me, the answer was obvious. Felix was initially appalled by the idea, until I mentioned that I could have Santiago do it instead. That did the trick. After the initial venom was inside of her, then she would most likely have enough exposure to it that the procedure would not kill her. The venom for the procedure would have to be specially modified and applied directly to the organs themselves. If enough vital organs were modified aside from the heart, it may be possible for her to remain human and yet not age.

The plan was for her to undergo the initial procedure, and then be brought to Volterra to heal while we observed how her body reacted to it. Unfortunately, that’s when things began to go very, very wrong. She escaped and ran to the reservation. To attempt to extract her would have been too much of a mess to explain, and then the just rule of the Volturi would be called into question. It was then that I began to realize her true gift. Due to how terribly wrong Port Angeles went and the company she was keeping now, she had to get away from there. If she absorbed the feelings of hatred and contempt for the Volturi, Felix would have lost her forever. I could see through Felix’s eyes how she was treated in Forks. The Cullens, aside from Rosalie Hale, as well as her own parents ignored her very existence almost exclusively in favor of her older sister. She was meant for more. With a little encouragement, I was able to convince Felix to take her away somewhere else. Of course, all the while I was finding people who had seen her and looking through their memories for anything useful. It was then that I was able to fully grasp the extent of her gift. She didn’t need to eat or sleep nearly as frequently when she was around vampires, and she seemed to even absorb their very emotions. It was then that I saw a solution to the problem that had developed in Port Angeles.

All it took was a little well-placed use of Asher’s gift, the only real price was him being thrown off a jet, and the plan was underway. It worked even better than I had hoped. I was suddenly very glad that I had ordered Santiago to modify her womb all the way back in Port Angeles, that would only make things go more quickly. I had expected twins, but triplets worked just as well. Back in my very early days when I was a young vampire, before I had even met Sulpicia or Marcus or any of my family now, I encountered a small coven that had a child. The product of a union between a vampire and a human. The mother was, at that point, a vampire, and she had only survived the process because she had a very powerful healing gift. Over time I had encountered a few other hybrid offspring, but the mothers had all died during childbirth. The only survivor I had ever encountered, was that one young woman with the ability to heal herself long enough to undergo the changing process of turning into a vampire. Belladonna, with her ability to absorb from those around her, would doubtlessly survive. Her gift was even more powerful and extraordinary than the woman I had encountered so long ago, I had no doubt that Belladonna would survive it. I also knew enough about the matter to know that half-breed children were sentient very early into their development. Their unconditional love for both of their parents would surely be absorbed into Belladonna, and hopefully by the time the children were born she would have developed feelings herself. This, is where the current problem lies.

Although she does seem to have developed feelings on her own, they are not as well developed as I would have hoped. I had hoped that she would be so enthralled with her feelings for her mate, her children, and her new home that she would be content. However, that has not been the case. Although she does seem to have developed an attachment to everything, that does not override her attachment to the life she knew nor does it seem to be enough to overcome her mental barriers of how she came to be in the situation she’s in now. Unfortunately, the only amiable and reasonable solution seems to be to change her fully. Once she is an immortal and everything is amplified, she will feel the full force of the bond with her mate as well as her attachment to her children. The attachments she makes in the beginning of her new life will override any of the memories and attachments she made as a human, and the problem will be solved. Felix may be an issue if this is done without the consent of either party, but he would forgive me after he saw that his mate truly wanted to stay. I know what’s best for my children, even if they don’t understand it at the time…


	65. Misplaced

_***Donna POV***_

Even though the triplets were only a couple of days old, they already looked much older. It seemed that each time they went to sleep, they woke up another several weeks developed. That concerned me in more ways than one, but no one else seemed worried. Felix seemed concerned the first time he saw it, but when Aro seemed to consider this normal he didn’t seem to think anymore of it. I was thankful that I didn’t need to sleep much, if my kids were going to grow up this quickly, I at least wanted to be able to see it and not sleep their childhood away. Hearing Atronis crying, I knew that was my summons. I didn’t often put him down, but when I did, he wasn’t happy. Walking into the nursery that everyone made, quite literally, overnight, I could easily see why Atronis was upset. Felix and Demetri were a blur all over the room, lifting things up and setting them down. In the time it had taken me to walk across the room to the cribs, Atronis had already been moved three times. No wonder the poor kid was mad. Celona was in her crib, very unbothered by it all; she tried to pat their heads when they lifted up her crib, but she was always too slow. By the time I had picked up Atronis and calmed him down, I was lifted into the air and then set back down. Quicker than my daughter, I managed to grab Felix’s sleeve before he blurred off to the other side of the room.

“What are you two doing?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow. Felix and Demetri froze, not seeming to have realized I was there.

“Nothing!” They both quickly said at once.

“You’re up early.” Felix tried, and failed, to change the subject.

“Uh huh. What’s going on? Did you lose something?”

“Why would you think that?” He asked, feigning innocence. Surely he didn’t think I was that stupid. I pointed to where Demetri was lifting up a table on the other side of the room. Demetri noticed and quickly set it back down.

“I was making sure it wasn’t broken. It has to be safe for children, you know.” Demetri tried. I was unimpressed. Felix sighed, knowing they didn’t really have a good excuse for their game of sonic hide and seek, or whatever they wanted to call it.

“First of all, we didn’t lose anything. Just temporarily misplaced.” Felix began.

“Okay, and what did you temporarily misplace?” Why would I care if they lost something? Although I can’t imagine what a vampire would lose, they have perfect memory. Demetri cleared his throat slightly, almost trying to cover his answer with a cough.

“A baby.”

“WHAT?!” I looked in Lakosen’s crib, making sure it was empty. I had just assumed that he was with Jane or Alec, it hadn’t crossed my mind that they didn’t know where he was. “You LOST our baby?! Felix!! How can you lose a baby that can’t even crawl?!”

“I know! I swear he was right _there!_ ” He said motioning to the empty crib. “And then he wasn’t!”

“Calm down, he has to be here somewhere.” Demetri tried to de-escalate the situation. If I weren’t holding a baby, I would have thrown a metal chair right at his face.

“Don’t worry, we’re searching the whole building. He couldn’t have gotten very far.” Felix interrupted, probably trying to save his friend from a chair to the face.

“He shouldn’t have been able to get _anywhere_ Felix! He’s a BABY!” Atronis giggled, playing with my hair. I’m glad someone was amused by this.

“I know! I don’t know how he got out of his crib!” He insisted. Which, I’m inclined to believe. Lakosen can’t crawl yet, these cribs were built by vampires for vampire children, and Felix and Demetri were both in the same room. No one would have been able to come in without them noticing, and Lakosen shouldn’t have been able to get out. I sighed and rolled my eyes, no sense in arguing about it right now. There was plenty of time for that after we found the baby.

“Whatever, let’s just find him and then we can worry about how he got out.”

“He isn’t in any of the rooms of the upper floors.” Jane said as she appeared in the doorway.

“And he isn’t in any of the rooms on this floor, or the ones downstairs.” Alec said as he materialized beside his sister.

“What do you mean he isn’t in any of the rooms?!” Demetri asked, disappearing to, I assume, check their work.

“Check again! He has to be here somewhere!” Felix said, obviously starting to panic.

“We already checked. Multiple times.” Jane insisted, almost offended that Felix would question her thoroughness.

“No one else has seen him either, he couldn’t have left the room.” Alec added calmly.

“Well he isn’t in here!”

“Just check again, please. We’ll keep looking in here.” I said, thinking about what Alec had said. As the twins vanished out the door, I got an idea.

“He can’t be in here; Demetri and I have basically torn the place apa-”

“What were you doing when you put them in their cribs? Putting them to bed?” I asked as I got three bottles out of the fridge in the corner and set them on the table.

“Yes, why does that matter?” He asked, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.  
“We’ll find him eventually. It’s time for the others to eat. I guess Lakosen will just go hungry.” I shrugged and started feeding Atronis with one of the bottles.

“What?! Belladonna this isn’t the time to-”

“Hush and feed your daughter.” I cut him off as I handed him a bottle. He once again looked at me like I was crazy but conceded and got Celona out of her crib to feed her. She was such a good baby, nothing ever bothered her. Atronis, on the other hand, always cried for attention when I wasn’t holding him. He must get that from his father. I sat in a chair and fed Atronis and sure enough, after less than a minute I heard the tiny struggles of Lakosen trying to get out of his crib.


	66. Attachment

Felix was over there in the blink of an eye, holding him at arm’s length with one hand looking him over to make sure he was real.

“How?!” He asked in exasperation. Lakosen squirmed, trying to get down. Judging by his face, he wasn’t very happy with Felix. I smiled and got up, setting Atronis in his little baby swing, he could pout for a few minutes. I took Lakosen from Felix and gave him a bottle, and he cheered right up.

“He was just hiding.” I said as I kissed his forehead. His little curls nearly fell to his eyes.

“Hiding? But where?” Felix asked, still not getting it.

“I don’t know. When Bella and I were little and didn’t want to go to bed, our mom would set out a snack to lure us out. Worked every time.” I smiled, at least he got something from me.

“But he’s a baby!” Felix insisted.

“Yes, but they aren’t normal babies. They already look months old, and they can understand what we say. It just made sense that he would hide if he didn’t want to go to bed. I don’t know where he did, but obviously that was the case. Call it a mother’s intuition.”

“Well, we found him and that’s all that matters. And at least I didn’t actually lose our son.” Felix chuckled. Poor guy, it would kill me if I had thought I lost one of the triplets.

“Yeah, you aren’t _that_ unobservant.” I smirked as I set the bottle back on the table, Lakosen was fast asleep. Felix scoffed.

“Unobservant? My senses are easily one hundred times what yours are. At least.” He said as he got Atronis out of the swing and laid him in my other arm; I guess he was tired of a baby glaring at him from across the room.

“And yet, I wasn’t the one that lost a baby.” I chuckled as Atronis cuddled up to my side and closed his eyes.

“You know, it really isn’t fair that he only ever wants you. He’s too young to start playing favorites.” He said, obviously trying to change the subject.

“Oh please, he looks just like you. It wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t act like you too.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!” I gave him a look. Did he really want a list? He seemed to think about it a moment and then conceded. “You’re right, fair point.”

“Besides, Celona plays favorites too. I think it’s fair that the boys like me best.”

“Is this a competition over our children now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. But if it were, I would win.” I smiled while he laughed. I thought about bringing up that he was a momma’s boy when he was a child too, but I didn’t want to bring up bad memories, if he remembered it at all. Besides, we had never really talked about what I saw, and I never did get to see the rest of the story. Maybe someday I would, and I could see what happened to him after that day the rest of the children from his village died. I know that Rose said that the longer you’re a vampire, the more that human memories fade. Felix has been a vampire for a very long time, so he might not remember anything about it at all. He might not remember that he was so close to his mom, or that he looks so much like her.

I was never particularly close with either of my parents. Bella, in her own way, was close to both of them. Charlie had always seen her as the daughter that he lost, and very desperately wanted back, while Renée always saw her as the daughter that she saved from a dull life in Forks. I was neither, I was just there. They both loved me, I know, but I was never close to them like Bella was. I was born after everything was already over between my parents; Renée didn’t save me from anything, and Charlie never really lost me. Bella was a product of when they were together and happy, while I was a product of pity sex from Renée after everything was already over. Even though it might change when they get older, I’m glad that all of my children are attached to at least one parent. I know, or at least I hope, that they’ll be attached to both of us, but I was always a little scared that if I ever had kids, they would end up like me. Not really close to either parent and borderline forgotten. I didn’t know if I would ever get married or have kids. Well, to be fair I’m not married; but being the mate of a vampire has to count somewhere, right? I didn’t expect to be a teenage mother either, but no one could have ever expected any of this to happen the way it did. But, despite how much I hate how it happened, I don’t hate how it turned out.

Felix broke me out of my reverie by taking the boys and placing them in their cribs.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he took my hand and pulled me up out of my chair; Celona was already in her crib.

“You’ve been in here for long enough, I think. Would you like to see Italy?” He asked.

“Like, the whole thing?” I asked, surprised. I had just assumed I was supposed to stay inside here until I ran away, even though that endeavor is borderline impossible. Felix chuckled.

“Probably not in one night, but I think a good start would be Volterra. Don’t you agree?” I smiled and started pulling him towards the door.

“Just promise not to jump off anything like the Eiffel Tower and it’s a deal.” Felix smirked.

“No promises.” Before I could argue, my feet were off the floor and we were already flying out of the building.


	67. Florence

Italy was beautiful. We explored Volterra over the course of two nights, and on the third night we started exploring Florence. It was even more beautiful than Paris, it was just like a fairytale. On top of the hills, you could see the entire city and the glowing lights; but on the other side of the hills, I could have sworn we were miles away from civilization. The stars were so clear and beautiful, it was like I could almost touch them. Going out and exploring while the kids were asleep was quickly becoming a routine for us, and it was one I could get used to. We would be back before sunrise, of course; one morning we even watched the sunrise from the top of the clock tower. During the day we would stay inside and play with the triplets, and at night we would run around and explore Italy. Felix would always stop and make me eat at a restaurant at some point during the escapade, but although the food looked divine it just didn’t taste how it seemed it should.

Spending my days amongst a coven of immortals and my own other worldly children and my nights running around a city that seemed straight out of a fairytale, it was almost enough to make me forget that real life even existed. That I had a family miles away that thought I was dead, or that I was actually still a prisoner here. Or was I? I didn’t feel like a captive, it was almost difficult to even think of my old life. It seemed I could do anything I wanted here, and I actually felt both loved and wanted. Back at home, I knew that I was loved, but I never truly _felt_ it until I had met Rosalie. With mom and Bella, I felt _needed_ but never truly _wanted_ , and I never knew it until I was around people who actually made me feel like I was wanted. Were they even sad that I was gone? What would happen if I actually _did_ run away? What would I be running away from, or, more importantly, what would I be running away back to? Was everyone happier now that they only had to focus on Bella? What would they say about the triplets? They certainly couldn’t be seen by anyone other than the Cullens, they were far too developed for their age and they only kept growing. Would they be hidden away at the Cullens’ house? And I was supposed to be dead, would I have to choose between going about the life I had and only seeing my kids when I “visited” Rose and hiding away with them, allowing my parents to continue thinking I was dead? I would never leave my kids of course, but then what advantage did that give, if even after I went back my family still thought I was dead? Not to mention Felix.

It hurt when I thought about leaving him. Although I knew in my head that I _shouldn’t_ be here, and I knew I used to feel that way, I just don’t anymore. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to leave.

“ _Cara mia,_ you have to come see this.” Felix broke me out of my reverie by pulling me into the playroom. The kids couldn’t crawl yet, but they were sitting up on their own. When Felix and I got back, Atronis and Lakosen were busy throwing rubber balls at each other while Celona just sat a short distance away watching and judging her brothers.

“You _always_ cheat!” Atronis said. His voice was high like a small child, but very clear.

“No, you just always _lose_.” Lakosen replied, a smug smirk on his face. He must get that from his father. Atronis responded by hitting his brother right in the face with a ball, and a new ball fight ensued. I walked over and picked up Atronis, who of course turned angelic as soon as he saw me. That, he got from me.

“Did you know they started talking?” I asked, looking at Felix. I hardly ever left them while they were awake aside from going to the bathroom. I even napped with them, I only really left them when they were asleep for the night. My heart sank at the thought of missing their first words, even if they weren’t the typical first experience with a baby.

“No, I just wanted to show you their aim with the ball, I hadn’t heard them before.” Felix insisted, picking up his uncooperative second son. Lakosen was still determined to throw another ball at his brother.

“He cheated, momma.” Atronis said, completely ignoring Felix and I’s conversation. I was relieved that I hadn’t missed their first words, but I melted at hearing him call me “momma”.

“Oh did he? Are you sure?” Atronis just nodded stubbornly to my question, obviously feeling as though he’d been wronged. Exactly what conversation did you have with a highly adapted infant? I was expecting them to at least start with one-word increments, but nothing seems to go as I expect anymore.

“Well, you’ll just have to sit and make up.” I said as I sat him back down on the floor. Felix sat Lakosen across from him and we both watched as they just stared at each other, both having just been betrayed by their parents. I was prepared to wait it out, but a ball hit Atronis in the forehead. Lakosen naturally started laughing but was soon set straight when another one hit him on the back of the head. Celona’s giggling revealed her to be the culprit, and soon a brand-new ball war had ensued, their argument forgotten.

“I hope they always make up so easily.” I smiled watching them play.

“I’m sure they will, they wouldn’t know what to do if they couldn’t pick on each other.” Felix chuckled as we watched them play. “Come on.” He said, pulling me by my hand out of the room.

“Where are we going?”

“Out.”

“It’s too early, the kids aren’t asleep yet.” I argued, pulling back on my hand. That didn’t slow our progress whatsoever.

“Jane and Alec can watch them; we can leave early just this once.” He said as we continued to make our way towards the stairs.

“But where are we going in such a hurry?” I gave up trying to stop and just tried to keep up. Felix smirked at my question.

“It’s a surprise.” Was the only answer I got.

“I’m not sure how many more of your surprises I can survive, Felix.”

“Don’t be dramatic, you’ll love it.” I knew I wasn’t going to win, and sure enough, as soon as we hit the staircase, he had picked me up and we were flying out of sight.

* * *

I understood when we got there why we had to leave so quickly; the surprise actually turned out to be a play. We went to Teatro Niccolini, the oldest theater in Florence, to see a play about Mary Shelley, the author of _Frankenstein._ The play was very long, the whole thing lasted nearly six hours. It was about her life, her time as a writer, and it even showed her novels playing out in the thought processes of her mind, it was amazing. Felix was right, I loved it.

“I didn’t think we could go somewhere so crowded, wasn’t that a risk?” I asked as we were leaving the theater.

“No, not at all. Crowds are only a problem if the sun is out or if we’re uncontrollably thirsty. Did you like it?”

“Of course, that was beautiful. I didn’t know they even made plays like that.” I smiled at his proud little grin; he really could be cute sometimes. Who knew the god of war had such a soft side.

“We still have plenty of time, you should eat and then we’ll go to the north side of Florence, we haven’t been there yet.”

“I’m not really hungry right now.” I was hardly ever hungry anymore. It was ironic, without vampires shoving food in my face I probably would forget to eat altogether.

“I’ve heard that before. And as soon as you have a plate of food in front of you it’ll be gone within five minutes.” He chuckled at his own joke. I hit him on the arm more to make myself feel better than anything else, he probably didn’t even feel it.

“Hey! It’s just because I know we won’t leave until I’m done, and I want to see the city. Don’t be such an ass!” I hit him again, weakly defending my eating habits. He blocked my assaults, feigning pain, but it only lasted a few seconds before it just made us both laugh.

“Donna?” A disbelieving voice called from the crowd of people. The laughing immediately stopped as I felt Felix tense up beside me, going still as a statue.

“Donna?” The voice called louder. I turned and saw a woman who looked like an older version of my sister, but with light hair and laugh lines. Standing just thirty feet in front of me, was my mother.


	68. Investigating

_***Felix POV***_

“Donna?” As soon as I heard that voice, I knew it meant trouble.

“Donna?” Renée Dwyer called louder. She was standing in the crowd looking right at us, far too close for comfort. I knew that Belladonna had already seen her, she was frozen in place staring at her mother. Renée started running towards us, but before her foot hit the ground with that first step, I had already grabbed Donna and ran. I stopped behind a building a safe distance away; where I could hear Renée and Belladonna could not. I wanted to take her back home, but I needed to make sure that she didn’t cause a scene and I couldn’t know that if I were running back to Volterra.

“Donna!” Renée called again, frantically running around the crowd searching for her daughter. What a shame she could never show her such attention when she lived with her.

“Renée, honey, what is it?” Her husband Phil had finally caught up to her.

“She was right here Phil! She was right _here!_ I know it, I saw her!” She pleaded with her husband. “Donna!” She called again, looking at the faces of the crowd. She was beginning to draw attention.

“Renée,” Phil sighed, obviously he had done this before. “Honey, Donna is gone. Remember? You couldn’t have seen her here.”

“Phil, I know my baby I saw her right _here!_ ” She insisted. Phil caught her arm before she could run off again.

“Renée, let’s go back to the hotel, alright? It’s been a long day.” He led Renée off down the street, despite her protests, but it was obvious he didn’t believe her. I relaxed my hold on Belladonna, who still hadn’t moved. Was she in shock?

I didn’t have time to think about it right now, I needed to find out why her parents were in Italy. I picked her up and started running back to Volterra, she didn’t even flinch. I wonder what she thought when she saw her mother; if I hadn’t taken her away, would she have tried to leave with her? I would like to think not, but I didn’t really know. As soon as I got back home, I dropped Belladonna into the arms of a very confused Jane and immediately ran back to Florence. It didn’t take long to pick up their scent and find the hotel they were staying in. From the sound of the sobs and running water, Phil had run Renée a bath and was still attempting to get her calmed down. I slipped into the window and grabbed Phil’s cellphone from his jacket pocket that was laying on the bed. After going through his text messages and e-mails, it was clear that it was just some sick coincidence that they ended up in Italy. Isabella was getting married, and in order to try and lift her spirits after losing Belladonna Phil was taking her on a trip since she loved to travel so much. It was an attempt to cheer her up so she would be in a better mindset for the wedding. Phil had already messaged Charlie asking if he could call Renée as soon as he got off work. It seemed as though Phil, as well as everyone else, was convinced that Renée was imagining things. She had always been eccentric, they rationalized that this was just how she was dealing with the grief. I would have to send Dimitri to check on them later tonight; hopefully if Phil believes his wife is seeing things he’ll take her home early.

* * *

“Renée, calm down please. Now, slow down and start from the beginning.” Charlie sat in his cruiser in the parking lot of the police station and listened to his ex-wife over the phone as she recounted her memory of seeing their youngest daughter in Italy. Their youngest _dead_ daughter. Renée had been a mess after the funeral, she wasn’t taking it well. She had seemed to be getting better, but when Bella announced that she was marrying Edward Cullen in August, Renée lost it again. She had always imagined that Donna would be Bella’s maid of honor, or at least a bridesmaid, for her sister’s wedding. Phil thought that taking Renée on a trip would raise her spirits before the wedding, and it had seemed to be working, until now. The doctors said that this might happen, Renée always did have a vivid imagination. It wasn’t out of character to believe that Renée subconsciously felt guilty over enjoying herself so soon after her daughter’s death, and just imagined that Donna was there with her. Charlie sighed.

“Renée, honey, Donna is gone. You know that. Think about this rationally, what would she be doing in _Italy_ of all places?” Charlie nodded. “Exactly, the doctors said this might happen. Do you want to come home? Maybe it’s all that foreign air.” Charlie smiled as his ex-wife laughed at his poor attempt at humor. He was having a hard time too, but he knew he needed to keep it together for the family that he had left. It wasn’t fair to ruin Bella’s happiest day of her life. Donna’s death could be mourned any day, but Bella would only have one wedding day, and he would make sure that it was special.

“Yes, I think that the Jacksonville sun is exactly what you need. Alright, I’ll see you soon. Call if you need anything. Bye.” Charlie sighed as he hung up his phone. He was glad he hadn’t driven home before he called her, it would have upset Bella. Charlie rubbed his face and took a moment to collect himself before he buckled his seatbelt and started his cruiser. He hoped that Bella had supper ready, he was starving. Charlie was so caught up in thoughts of supper and the game, that he nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard someone tapping on his window. He hadn’t even seen or heard anyone walk up, but standing right in front of his window waiting very impatiently for him to roll down his window, was none other than Rosalie Hale.


	69. A Fork in the Road

_***Donna POV***_

Felix didn’t come back for a long time. Jane tried to help; she really did. She tried to talk with me, get me to eat, anything; but I couldn’t get the image of my mom out of my head. Her voice, calling for me. Confused at first, but then more certain as she ran towards us, and then she was gone. Felix had swept us away far enough so that my mom couldn’t see me. I knew he listened to them afterwards, and no doubt he was wherever they were right now. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her, seeing her dead daughter in a strange country. I don’t think Phil saw us, he probably thinks she’s having an eccentric episode. But why were they in Italy? Why would they take a vacation so shortly after they supposedly buried their youngest daughter? The thought alone made me tear up.

“Donna? Are you alright?” Jane asked. Her question sounded strange, and it took several seconds for me to determine why. She had called me Donna. It dawned on me then that they never called me that here, and it took seeing my mother for me to realize why. My mother only started calling me that because my sister already had Bella as an established nick name, and she didn’t want to confuse her so young. They only called me by my full name here because they don’t want my identity, even my name, to be defined by Bella.

“I’m fine. I’m going to go lay down with the kids for a while.” I said as I walked in, carefully taking Atronis out of his little bed. Jane silently grabbed the other two and carried them to my room, laying them down next to me before leaving. I looked at the sleeping angelic little faces of the triplets and imagined what mom would think of them if she saw them. Of course she would love them, wouldn’t she? They’re impossible not to love. But that probably wouldn’t be her first thought, her first thought would probably be about me being a teenage mother.

Now that I’m a mom, it made it even harder to justify my own mother’s actions growing up. Bella had always been the favorite, of both our parents. Growing up it had just seemed natural, expected. Bella was something they had shared, a product of their love, and I wasn’t. And I adored Bella, she was everything I wished I could be and she deserved everything she could ever want. But that was from the viewpoint of a little sister and younger daughter. Looking at it from the viewpoint of a mom now looking at my kids, I couldn’t imagine picking such a blatant favorite like that. Sure, the boys clung to me more and Celona was super glued to Felix, but I don’t _love_ them any differently. I could never choose between them, and if one of them died I certainly couldn’t go on a vacation to forget about it. I knew that my mom loved me, both of my parents did. But seeing her in Italy, it became painfully clear how much I had overestimated their feelings.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to leave anymore. It had seemed so obvious before, but now it’s making less and less sense. I was taken and forced to be here, my family and friends thought I was dead, I was violated and ended up pregnant. But being here, it’s so easy to forget about that. Anything I want is given to me before I even think of it myself, and it seems like a real family here. I have three perfect little kids who have two parents who adore them, not to mention an entire castle of vampires who dote on them every waking moment. Felix seems to have figured out he screwed up and has spent every day trying to make up for it, but it seems to be more than that too. He seems to enjoy trying to come up with things to make me happy. Back in Forks, or even Arizona, I always seemed invisible to nearly everyone; if I went back, would my kids have to live like that too? The decision effects the kids’ lives even more than it does mine. Back in Forks, they would have to hide. They grow far too fast, and soon it will look impossible to everyone else for me to be their mother; they would simply look too old. What would happen then? Would they always have to hide? Here, they could be free. But that also presents the question, is it really freedom if it’s just a very spacious and beautiful cage?

I knew that my dad would inevitably find out about what mom saw, and eventually the Cullen's might too. As soon as Rosalie hears it was in Italy, I know she’ll come to investigate. She would put together most of what happened very quickly, I’m sure. If I want her to find me, all I have to do is stay put. As soon as she steps foot in the building, she’ll smell my scent and also the strange scent of the triplets. Once she knows I’m here, she won’t rest until I go home with her. But what would that mean? Would it come to a fight? Rosalie definitely couldn’t win by herself; the Cullen’s couldn’t even win together. But she would make sure they tried. Or, if I did just walk out with her, the triplets would be separated from one of their parents. Which one, I’m not sure. But is that for the best? Felix wouldn’t keep them from me, but he also couldn’t join us. Could I do that to him? To the kids? To myself? If I wanted to stay, all I would have to do was to get Felix to take us somewhere, so Rose wouldn’t find us when she came here. I’m not sure I could do that to her, I don’t want her to continue thinking I’m dead. I didn’t realize I had started crying until I saw a tear hit the pillow. It was too much for one night. I would inevitably have to decide tomorrow, but for now I curled up with my kids and just went to sleep.


End file.
